Rio: Forgotten Memories
by ernestgoestocamp
Summary: [My First fanfiction. Read at your own discretion] What happens when a human, who has hated birds all his life, is transformed into a bird himself? What challenges will he face and what acceptance will he receive? rated T for Violence and language.I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE MUSIC I USE, REVIEW AND COMMENT
1. The beginning

Rio: Forgotten memories

It was quiet in the rain forest adjacent to Rio de Janeiro many life forms exist in this dense, wet forest and many aren't what they seem. For many years humans have thought of animals being incapable of self awareness or being able to do what humans have been doing since their beginnings in a familiar dark continent. Dancing is one of the most prime examples of human culture and dancing in general seems to show its own emotion in the many types it has. The most well known in Brazil is the Samba, it is the emotion of what Brazil shows to the rest of the world, freedom.

The rain forest echoed in samba and rhythm, but this was not a human settlement. This land was not protected by the government and therefore was a hunting ground for many poachers, therefore only animals lived here. What was interesting was that the music was coming not from humans but from many species of birds in the forest.

(Real in Rio)

**All the birds of a feather **

**Do what we love most of all  
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**We are the best, at rhythm and laughter**

All the birds in the forest had a reason to dance, it was just so addicting!

**That's why we love carnaval  
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In the distance their was a man and his son, the father had various feathers of many species of birds known to man displayed on his hat and he had a hunting rifle for hunting big game animals. He was about 6'1 and his entire figure was enough to scare the strongest of men. His son on the other hand was physically frail and it looked as though he was the least person you would expect to come from a father of this magnitude. His son was about 4'4 and loved birds; he would always draw them and examine them very carefully and he was a really good artist. He always begged his father to take him to see all the majestic birds but his father always said no but today was different.

"Wow! Their so beautiful dad! I never knew this forest had so many kinds of birds"

"there are over ten thousand species of birds around the world Andrew but enough with that, help me set these nets up." His father demanded

"What are the nets for dad?" young Andrew asked with curiosity.

His father hesitated, would he lie to his own son? If he told him the truth his whole purpose here would be compromised.

"We are saving them from the hunters and bringing them to the nearby laboratory Andrew, these birds are in danger of becoming someone's feast"

"Feast? Yuck! Who would want to eat birds?" young Andrew was obviously disgusted at the comment from his father.

"People who are cold, harsh and evil, my son" his father cringed at his own words but he smiled mischievously at all the birds around them.

They had set up the nets everywhere and were about to unleash them upon the birds of the forest.

**All birds we can sing to**

**Sun and beaches they call  
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**Dance to the music**

**Passion and love **

**Show us the best you can do**

Not too far away their was a baby Blue Spix macaw sleeping in its nest that had been woken up by the attractive music.

**Everyone here is on fire**

He too began to dance too and was entranced by the music he heard.

**Get up and join in the fun  
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**Dance with a stranger, romance and danger  
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**Magic could happen for Real**

**In Rio**

**All by itself**

**(Itself)  
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**You cant see it coming  
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**you can't find it anywhere else  
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**(Anywhere else)**

"So many species! We are going to be rich" Andrews father whispered.

**It's real, in rio  
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**Know something else  
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**(Something else)**

"Son, I want you to pull the string on my mark okay?"

"Dad I don't think this is a good idea" Andrew told his father

"Just do it! Or so help me I will punish you for a very long time Andrew!"

"Okay…dad ill do it"

**You can feel it happen **

"Hurry up Andrew!"

"Dad I can't! The string is too strong!"

"God dammit Andrew! The father forcefully grabbed the string from his son and all hell broke lose on all the birds around them.

**You can feel it all by yourself**

The blue macaw lost its balance and fell to the ground below; although he survived the fall he failed in learning how to fly.

(Song end)

The father, Miller, walked towards his son in a fit of anger

"You're a disappointment, Andrew...I told you to do something simple...to pull down this string!" the father shouted at his son with all his anger.

The young boy began to cry miserably and all the birds felt his sorrow.

"You're lying to me...and you shout as if i should enjoy doing these things with you" Young Andrew sobbed

Miller sighed as he crouched down to meet his son eye to eye

"Listen Andrew...i didn't mean to make you sad...we need the money you know..."

"Let them go...dad" Andrew said softly

"I'm sorry Andrew...you're too young to understand yet" Miller finished as he returned to his upright position and walked to collect some birds that were trapped in the nets.

While Andrew was sobbing something caught his interest and it was the baby blue macaw, he went over to touch it but his father forced his way and put the blue Spix in a cage.

"Dad! let him go!" young Andrew protested to his father.

"Listen Andrew, things are going to be different from now on, I don't want to see my son with this weak personality of his, I lied to you my son about saving them but you will one day learn that this is merely the survival of the fittest."

"Survival of the fittest dad?" his son asked

"Sigh…I knew you wouldn't understand Andrew, in this world there are the strong and the weak, the weak perish and the strong survive. We are just fulfilling our purpose Andrew"

"But the birds did nothing to us! There just minding their own business!" his son screamed at his father

"When we get home you and I will have a long talk about this" his father finished.

Then Andrew's father examined the blue Spix in the cage. It was a very rare kind of macaw and there are very few of them left. Only about 78 of them left, he would make a lot of money selling his creature to the industry.

"Well! This pretty much makes us have what we want! Ha ha! We did it! We are rich! Finally!" his father said in joy

Young Andrew sighed, completely powerless to help the birds

They had loaded up all the birds in the truck but before they left, Andrew's father took a glimpse at the Spix Macaw, he smiled.

"Son, you know every baby has a mother right?" he asked his son gleefully.

"yea..what about it dad" the 8 year old asked.

"Well! The baby blue bird's mother will be returning soon and she might be worried where her baby is, maybe we should go look for her." The father said expressing evil in his face.

(A few hours later)

They had arrived at their destination and sold all the birds, including the blue spix for about 100 million dollars. Then they returned home in the busiest part of Rio de Janeiro. Their apartment was 20 stories tall and was one of the richest in town. Mr. Andrew turned on all the lights and grabbed his son and threw him on his bed and yelled.

"No more! No more of this my son! No more drawing pictures of animals! No more of this love for them! You need to grow up and learn to hate them! They are your enemies!"

The father went to his son's drawing board and destroyed every last one of his beautiful drawings and then left. His son was shocked by this and began crying once more.

"Mom…where are you. I need your help." The boy was left crying for days to come.

(A few more hours later)

"In other news, their had been reports of many species of birds that suddenly disappeared from the nearby rain forest and the government of Brazil has decided to take action on this incident. President Itamar Franco has initiated a close down of all nearby rain forests from all tourists and locals except government officials. He ordered an immediate investigation for the crisis.

months passed and Mr. Andrew had no reason to stay in Brazil because hunting there was now illegal so he booked a flight to California with his son where they both had all they could enjoy. His son became a very skilled hunter and hated animals like his father had wanted. They bought a very big house in the outskirts of Los Angeles which had about 42 rooms. Life seemed to be perfect for them. But was that truth? Were they really happy with what they wanted?

(**Fifteen years had passed since that day in the rainforest**)

The sun rose in the always busy town of Los Angeles and a young and grumpy person was about to be visited by what morning people love most.

-Ring!-

"Ugh…shut up…shut up!" the young man broke his alarm clock with a swift hit.

It was 8:23 and people were already going about their business.

"Wait! 8:23! Holy shit! I am late for school!"

The nineteen year old's room was thrust into chaos as he quickly found his clothes to wear for the day and ran out the front door.

He would always wear a red sweater that read "crunch time" and blue jeans and on some days he would wear a blue cap along with it. He got in his BMW and drove off to his school.

He went to May wood academy High school and his mascot is the Nighthawk. May wood is home to one of the most successful students in Los Angeles but also the worst, in this case. The young adult drove his car in a parking garage just down the street from the school. He turned off the engine and sprinted towards his High school. The bell rang as he reached the front door of the courtyard. His first class was American Government and this was the second semester at his school. Every student that was a senior were eagerly waiting to get out of school in the next four weeks. Seniorituious had already affected the vast majority of seniors in the school, but like any last semester of any school year...there was finals. And many students that have hit seniorituious were just going to either cheat or do the Christmas method on their scantrons. Andrew sighed as he opened the door that lead to his first period class. Everyone looked at him, their faces tried to contain their laughter. The teacher was a typical old haired man, but this teacher hated Andrew with a passion but found ways to express this.

"Late again I see Mr. Andrew" Mr. Smith told the irresponsible student.

"I'm sorry smith but I kinda got stuck in traffic and"

"That's Mr. Smith to you Mr. Andrew. You have no excuse"

"Right…sorry sir won't happen again" Andrew said walking to his desk.

"Mr. Andrew, since you are here with us today earlier than usual why don't you tell us a few facts about our country"

America government was not something Andrew excelled in and it was indeed his worst grade in the semester.

"Here Mr. Andrew... show us how hard you have been studying at home late at night, a pop quiz should prove to us how great you are doing in my class. Question number one how many senators are their in all 50 states combined?"

"Um...50?" Andrew answered. Everyone in the class exploded with laughter.

"Wrong Mr. Andrew, the answer is obviously 100 because each state has 2 senators, multiply 2 and 50 and what do you get?"

Someone in the audience shouted out "that was like the first question in chapter one doshebag"

"Next question, what are the requirements to becoming president of the United States?

"Uh...I don't... Know we never studied that" Andrew said

"Wrong answer, the requirements to becoming president are as follows: 35 years of age and older, resident in the US for 14 years and a natural born citizen with no immigrant history."

"Oh…" Andrew said walking to his desk and putting his head down.

"Well it looks like all Mr. Andrew has done in my class is sleep, I think you should stay up today Mr. Andrew, tomorrow is the final exam but enough with that class! Today, guess what i have in store for all of you?

The entire student body sighed

"Pop quiz..."

"Thats right! and i hope you all studied like you were supposed to...especially you...Mr Andrew" Mr. Smith said dropping the thin piece of paper on the young adults desk.

"The quiz has ten questions, try your best and don't fall behind...if you are stuck on a question, move on" Mr. Smith said

To everybody other than Andrew, this quiz was an easy A+, but the young adult felt nervous, the quiz was going to kill his quarter four grade. Andrew began to sweat and his breathing got a little tense, Mr. Smith was catching anyone who happened to stretch their neck to look for salvation. You know sometimes when your nervous and your taking a test or quiz that might seal your fate in the particular class, well...Andrew started feeling pressure on his seat, he tried to desperately hold it but his gas was looking for a way out.

"Come on Andrew...you can do this...just...guess, no...guessing will only get you wrong answers...maybe i can get answers from the nerd" Andrew said under his breath, he looked towards the local nerd but this person was sitting two seats away from his row so it was impossible to cheat from him, next to him was the local idiot so that would not help and Mr. Smith was observing everyone's movements.

The pressure began to build up again at an alarming rate, Andrew dropped his pencil quieltly and held on to his seat

"Don't do it...don't do it!" Andrew said

One girl looked at Andrew, she rolled her eyes but then began to smile, she noticed Andrew's futile attempts to hold a fart and she quietly told her friends about this, then eventually the whole class saw what Andrew was doing. The young adult could not hold it in any longer, his buttocks exploded which echoed across the room, there was a brief silence before everyone in the room started to laugh. The humiliation tore Andrew apart like paper.

"well, how disrespectful of you Mr. Andrew, disrupting my class in the middle of a quiz...shame on you, go to the principal's office and get a demerit from him."

The young adult did not say anything back, he jsut stood up and walked towards the door. Everyone taunted Andrew as he reached toward the door, he left as everyone got back to their test.

"Man...what a loser" One student said

Mr. Smith turned around and said

"Yes...very much, especially at how he is doing in my class" Mr smith finished.

(Sometime later)

"Well Andrew, i don't know what to say...your failing almost all of your classes and plus, you are disrupting the classroom's like an immature child." The principal said, the blinds on his window were shut, creating a dark atmosphere

"This time, it was not my fault...it couldn't keep it in" Andrew said

"It does not matter if this time, it wasn't your fault, the fact is...in the four years that you have been in this high school, you have a total of 573 demerits and you have been placed in disciplinary probation twice and academic probation three times. With this record...i doubt you have any chance of going into college as it is. You are currently in academic probation and your access to Grad Bash and prom will be terminated immediately. On another side note, Your Gpa is 2.2 and that wont be enough to get into even the worst campus in Los angeles." The principal said

Andrew just stayed quiet, the principal walked up to his desk and sat down

"Listen Andrew...is something going on at home? Your father maybe?" The principal asked

"my father has nothing to do with this" Andrew said quietly

"Maybe you are still thinking of your mother?" The principal asked

"How did you know about that?" Andrew asked

"Your father told me but that was a long time ago, you shouldn't let your emotions control your actions, listen to me very carefully, i am giving you one last chance...one last chance or you will repeat the school year to meet with the demands in college because with this Gpa, you wont even Graduate with your fellow classmates and you will not receive your diploma" The principal said

"i understand...ill do my best" Andrew said

"Easier said than done, i want to see results very soon" The principal concluded

Andrew just stood up quietly

"Your free to go and this demerit will be sent to your father tonight" The principal finished

Andrew sighed as he left the principals office and headed towards his first period class again, once he opened the classroom door, he was greeted once again by students, whose faces could not contain the laughter of what happened earlier.

"Please take your seat, Mr. Andrew, i hope you wont disrupt my class for the rest of the semester after that" Mr. smith said

Andrew sat down

"now then class, today's lesson will be the history of sovereignty" Mr. smith said

Andrew tried to stay away but he slowly drifted to sleep.

Everything went dark and Andrew found himself in a rain forest. Every single leaf was so detailed and it seemed as though everything was animated from a kid's movie.

"What...is this? Where am I? Andrew said nervously. He tried to walk normally but tripped as a result. "What? What's wrong with me?"

There was a puddle of water right next to him, curiosity got the best of him and he wished he hadn't looked into the puddle.

"No…impossible! This cant be true!" Andrew backed away from the puddle in shock

He was a bird. The very thing he hated most…


	2. Premonition

Chapter 2

Andrew was completely shocked at the sight he was seeing, the very thing he hated, the very thing he despised, the very thing the hunted down was now himself.

"This cant be possible! How can science explain this?"

He examined his body carefully, he was a Red –crested Cardinal but with a few differences, his head was the same color as the regular cardinal, his wings were Grey and his belly was black.

Then, he heard footsteps and when he turned around he saw himself (his human form)

"No…this cant all be happening"

But it was too late he was put in a cage and sent to a nearby laboratory within minutes.

The lab contained many specimens of animals that were very familiar to Andrew; he was put in the middle of the room and then the room became pitch black except for one little spot of light. A shadow was sitting on a chair and was smoking which made the room very foggy, soon after it lit its cigar it went walking towards Andrew. All Andrew could think was he was soon to die like all the animals he killed. The expression in Andrews eyes were pure horror. The shadow dropped the cigar and stepped on it and released the remaining smoke from his lungs out of his mouth toward Andrew who coughed at the horrible scent but suddenly gasped at who it was.

His father…

Noo! Andrew woke up in a sudden jolt

"Mr. Miller do you mind keeping your voice down, and by the way you are going to be late for your second period class I suggest you hurry" Mr. Smith finished while writing on the board.

Andrew was sweating and panting, but he wanted to forget about what he just experienced so he left the room to his second period class.

(Day 1) (3:10 pm)

School had just ended and Andrew was walking very slowly to the table where he would eat lunch with all his friends but today he did not even show up for lunch because of what happened and he was very scared to sleep again. His best friend, Nicholas showed up and patted his friend in the back.

"What's with the long face, Andrew?"

He did not want to tell Nicholas about his dream experience because he would think he was weird but instead talked about another topic he was worried about.

"I am failing American government" Andrew said

"How can you fail American government? It is our country after all..."

"I am always sleeping in class that's why and I don't really care about my grades anymore as it is"

"Andrew…Its senior year and it's your last chance to prove yourself worthy to all the schools that might want you in their system"

"What good is it anyway? I just want to follow my father's footsteps"

"You know your grades so far Andrew? Nicholas asked "yea… I do"

"I have a C- in calculus, a D+ in Economics, a C+ in English, a B- in physics and a F in American Government" Andrew concluded.

"You'll never start your life with those grades Andrew, we only have ten days of school left and you're just going to throw yourself away? After all you have done? Nicholas argued

"All I have done in my life was to kill animals, Nicholas; I am a cold blooded killer okay?"

"Sigh…you are bringing this upon yourself Andrew" Nicholas said walking away

"Fine! Walk away! I don't need your help! Your not my friend you useless scumbag!"

"What did you say Andrew?" Nicholas asked with anger

"I said you're a scumbag piece of trash!" Andrew retorted

Both stared at each other for an intense ten seconds with Andrew panting angrily but Nicholas realizing that fighting will not solve the issue, so he just wanted to tell Andrew here and now.

"You've changed haven't you Andrew…this isn't the Andrew I met back in 5th grade." Nicholas finished walking away leaving Andrew in the dust.

(5:34 pm Day 1)

(Song: **Coldplay – Clocks**)

It had been a long day for Andrew; he calmly walked to his BMW, which was sitting in the nearby garage. As the sun began to set in the town, lights began to flicker around this street. Andrew felt a surging pain in his heart, he grasped his shirt but the pain immediately went away as if it never happened. As he tried to wonder what the cause of the sudden pain was, he realized how late it was getting. The dream Andrew had; made him realize what his father had been doing to him all these years.

**Light go out and I can't be saved**

**Tides that I tried to swim against, you've put me down upon my knees…**

**Oh…I beg, I beg and plead (singing)**

**Come out of things unsaid; shoot an apple off my head **

(**And a**)

**Trouble that can't be named, tigers waiting to be tamed** (**singing**)

**You are, you are**

Andrew was just a couple blocks away until he saw a beggar ask for food, he tried to evade the old man until he was running out of space to run away to. He was against a wall at the mercy of this beggar.

**Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks (ganna)**

"Look mister, im running late, maybe some other time?" Andrew lied while running away. He left the beggar to cry alone in the enveloping darkness.

**Come back and take you home, I could not stop, that you now know** (**singing**)

Andrew saw the sun; the mighty ball of fire surrendered to nighttime's onslaught and vanished under the endless ocean in the horizon, down the road he was walking adjacent to.

**Come out upon my seas, curse missed opportunities** (**am I**)

**A part of the cure, or am I part of the disease** (**singing**)

**You…are, you…are**

(Song end)

Andrew reached the garage and switched the ignition and headed home to his secluded house that was located 2 miles from the famous Hollywood sigh, his home had three floors, a large pool and a balcony with a rather expensive telescope. Andrew arrived at his home and turned off the machine and got out of his vehicle. He saw his father, who had just brought in a fresh deer with a gun wound to its forehead. At least the poor creature did not suffer Miller's wrath.

"Dad why didn't you tell me" Andrew said walking towards his father

"Tell me what?" Miller asked

"Where you took all those birds all these years" Andrew shouted

"Why son I told you before, I saved them from hunters" Miller concluded

"Now I know that is the biggest lie you ever told me father" Andrew said walking inside the house and going to his room unpacking everything. His father followed

Andrew looked around his room and reminisced how his room looked before his conscience changed, nothing much but with a huge difference, every night he would take out his journal and write all he knew about birds and always hid it from his father.

But that was before his father forcefully destroyed all he loved about birds but sadly that love was a distant memory he could not remember.

He found the old, torn book under his bed where he last had it and began examining all the decaying pictures inside. But the picture that caught his attention the most was the photo of the Baby blue spix he and his father had captured years ago.

"Oh...Andrew, I thought you would never find out about it but I guess it is time I tell you, all the birds that we took to that laboratory were either killed or sold to the poachers who in turn sold them for profit themselves, as for your mother, well…she was too arrogant with her big, She found me one day bringing in some of the birds and she immediately told me she was shocked to find all the birds mistreated so she ran away, she ran to inform the police but I couldn't let her do that so I had to do the one thing I could have done.

Andrew did not know how to feel in the instance his father told him the story; he simply did not accept the fact that his mother and all his life he was fooled and used.

"No…you're making that up…" Andrew said

"Son, I know this is a little hard to take in but…all these years I lied to you, so you could live a better life." Miller lied

"A better life…I don't know what that means…anymore dad" Andrew questioned his father

"son…they were only just birds" Miller concluded, he hugged his son tightly only to have Andrew back away slowly and make a run toward his door.

"Wait! Andrew! Come back my son!" his father cried grabbing his gear and heading off to stop his son.

Andrew ran down stairs and found the keys next to the front door and unlocked the door as quickly as possible. He stormed out of his house and ran into the nearby forest.

(All I ever wanted)

Andrew did not look back and continued sprinting in the lush forest, he stopped on a cliff and saw the moonlight hit his cold, brown eyes.

**Gleaming in the moonlight**

**Cool and clean and all Ive ever known**

**All I ever wanted**

Andrew could smell the trees and water around him, the very thing he was feeling was denial.

**Sweet perfumes of incense**

He remembered how his house contained long hallways made of alabaster stone.

**Graceful rooms of alabaster stone**

**All I ever wanted**

He was looking at the landscape of Los Angeles that was home of the tallest skyscrapers in the western united states.

**This is my home**

**With my Father, mother and Lifestyle **(changed to make it more fitting)

**Oh so noble oh so strong**

Unaware to his father, who was still looking for him, he returned to his house to remember how his life was before his conscience changed.

**Now I am home**

**Here among my trappings and belongings**

He examined his torn journal and put it in his bag; he removed all his books and school items

**I…belong**

**And if anybody doubts it they couldn't be more wrong **

He put his passport, wallet with just about everything he ever made which was just about 2 thousand dollars.

Then, his phone stared to vibrate on his desk, it was Nicholas...sending him a text message.

Hello? Andrew...if you're getting this message, i wanted to say how sorry i am for making you mad, if you return this message...

The text read

Andrew grabbed his phone and replied

Gone to Rio, you wont hear from me in a long time, goodbye Nicholas.

Andrew set down his phone on his bed and walked towards his door, sweat was invading his body, why would he ever think of doing this, it was ridiculous...

**Surely this is all I ever wanted**

He looked at his room one last time

**All I ever wanted**

He got in his car and headed for the nearest airport.

**All I ever wanted…**

(Song end)

And so Andrew booked a flight to the very place he least expected to go, Rio De Janeiro

He wanted answers for all this; he wanted to find exactly where this laboratory was and who helped his father catch all these animals all these years. He wanted to find out...how he became the person he was.

(3 hours later) (9:31 pm Day 1)

Andrew was in an internet cafe inside the airport...looking for specific laboratory's in Rio, he was starting to get bored until he found a very familiar one, a laboratory he swore he and his father used to go to.

It read

"Blu Bird Sanctuary"

Andrew was intrigued, he printed the page and stuffed it in his pocket and left the cafe and headed towards his terminal.

Andrew was feeling guilty after arguing with Nicholas, he wanted to call before he got on his flight, he walked over to the payphone in Terminal D - 62, just a couple of minutes before the passengers would start to board the plane.

He put in the quarters and waited for a reply

"hello?" Nicholas asked

"its me, Andrew" Andrew said

"Andrew, i read your text...whats going on..." Nicholas asked

"My dad...told me something very bad...he told me he killed my mother..." Andrew said

"No way...he would never, your dad is chill...why would he ever want to..." Nicholas

"you wouldn't understand the reasons...Nicholas" Andrew retorted.

"okay well...is that why your going to Rio?" Nicholas asked

"im going to find out what really caused my father to kill her, we used to go to a lab when we lived in Rio, i think its now called Blu Bird Sanctuary" Andrew explained

"well, i hop..." Nicholas was interrupted

"listen, Nicholas...if my dad says anything, don't tell him about this conversation, he cant find out" Andrew finished.

"Alright, you have my word, Andrew" Nicholas said

"best friends..." Andrew concluded

"best friends, Andrew, good luck bro" Nicholas finished.

Andrew hanged up and took a deep breath before walking to the line of passengers who were waiting to board the plane to Rio de Janeiro.

(Few hours later) (1:27 am Day 2)

Andrew was sleeping during the 17 hour flight to South America. Andrew departed from the airport in due time without his father's knowing. He found the trip rather relaxing and something to keep his mind off for a while. But then a voice kept making him wake up all the time. He finally woke up one last time after he felt a twitch in his chest. He scratched it but it woke him up. He looked out into the window, clouds were passing at high speeds, and rain began to pour. Then Andrew swore he saw an image of a Red-crested Cardinal in the window. This scared him and he closed the blinds.

_Andrew…Andrew_

"Who are you! Go out of my head! Andrew shouted in his mind

_I want to show you something young child, go to the lavoratory_

"If you get out of my mind I will!" Andrew walked to the lavoratory and locked the door.

"Okay so who are you" Andrew asked, the nineteen year old teenager noticed the lights began to flicker in the bathroom.

_I am the voice of the wind, the sound of water flowing down the stream, I am the mountains that echo with pride, I am the son of Zeus, and I am Dionysus the God of nature_.

"Wha…God? Why would a God Want talk to me? Am I worth talking too?" Andrew asked.

_Young child you are not worth anything, you are the priceless creation of the Gods_

"I hate to break it to you Mr. God, but I am atheist and therefore I do not believe in you so get away from here" Andrew said with a cold heart

_So my child, you are weak in spirit and weak in heart as well? Do you not feel redemption for killing all my creatures_?

"Sure…Listen just show me what you wanted me for"

_Very well child, the place you seek is not a location but it is something you must find inside of you, you must find what you are seeking, this little adventure will cost you something you value the most if you are not careful my child_.

And with that, the voice disappeared, leaving Andrew to return to his seat and to enjoy the rest of his flight to Rio De Janeiro. Andrew was glad he brought his I phone with him; he played his favorite song "Good Charlotte – Hold on" during the trip. But he kept having the image of the Cardinal in his head. When he got his food, he immediately started eating. After that, he watched Grown ups, it was a pretty funny movie and it made Andrew ignore his worries, for now.

Meanwhile back at Andrew's residence, It started to rain, Miller got on his knees in defeat; the cold, wet rain only made him weak and did not help at all, suddenly...Miller lifted his head in shock

"I shouldn't have told him..."

his son had left him, and would probably never return.

Miller returned to his estate, drenched in nature's tears, he walked upstairs and stood by Andrew's bed, which he has had for so many years...

"oh Andrew...i shouldn't have..."

Miller stopped mid sentence as he discovered Andrew's phone on the bed, he reached out for it.

"now why did he leave his phone?..." Miller asked himself

he unlocked the phone and found the text message.

_Gone to Rio, you won't hear from me in a long time, Goodbye Nicholas._

Miller's face suddenly turned pale


	3. Welcome to Rio

Chapter 3

(Day 2) (3:47 Pm) (Galeão International Airport)

Finally after hours of being in the air, the plane landed in Galeão International Airport, When the plane came to a full stop, the captain spoke.

"Thank you for flying with us, we hope you enjoy your stay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and we hope to see you again next time, thank you for choosing flight 913 and choosing American Airlines." The man spoke over the intercom, the passengers started to gather their belongings

Andrew opened the shades of his window to see it was sunny outside, more light penetrated the ground than in Los Angeles, palm trees were much more abundant than in California and the mountains amazed Andrew, despite him living in the mountains of California in the outskirts of Los Angeles, but these mountains were covered in lush tropical rainforests. After sitting in his seat for so long, Andrew cringed as he stood up to get his carry on luggage, he was sitting down on his seat for so long that pain was immediately felt around his legs, he shook his legs until the pain went away and he made sure he had everything on him. Soon, after about ten minutes of waiting in the plane to go out, Andrew walked through terminal D-5 and made it to the carousel to claim his other luggage. He waited and waited but his luggage never showed up...he went to talk to an official about this and soon after minutes of talking to other official's, he was told his luggage was still in Los Angeles. Andrew asked when he would be able to get his luggage and the official said, two days. The only thing he had with him was his carry on and passport along with all the money he had from back home. Frustrated and wanting to get somewhere more relaxing, Andrew went to find a hotel he would register in. He saw a pamphlet and opened it to see a wide variety of hotels in Rio for tourists. One caught his interest the most when he read it, it was also one of the least expensive in the pamphlet.

opacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro

Superbly positioned overlooking the sea, this glamorous Orient-Express landmark in Rio has been welcoming the rich and famous since its Art Deco doors swung open in 1923.

The magnificent pool, with its adjacent super-cool Bar do Copa, are where Brazil's style setters gather to soak up the sun. The hotel's restaurants are also destinations in themselves, whether for great local dishes or fine Italian dining in Hotel Cipriani Restaurant

Signature Boutique

The Copacabana Palace Signature Boutique is located on the Ground Floor of the hotel.

Our exclusive boutique offers a range of luxury products including the latest in swimwear trends, sunglasses and jewelry. Copacabana Palace branded household and leather goods are also available.

Remember your stay at the Copacabana Palace forever with these special mementos available only from the Copacabana Palace and Orient-Express.

"Avenida Atlantica 1702" Andrew said to himself, he put the pamphlet inside his pocket and left the area.

Andrew exited the airport, only to be greeted by men and women dressed in Carnival parading down the street from the nearby street. The humidity here was much higher than in Los Angeles but thankfully Andrew was used to the searing heat.

"Excuse me sir! Um Excuse me!" Andrew shouted to the nearby locals to no avail.

No one seemed to speak English here but tourists so Andrew was in a sort of bad luck.

"Need help?" a woman walked up to him.

"oh, yes please i need help getting to this street, its where a laboratory is" Andrew told her.

It read

"Blu Bird sanctuary followed by an address"

The woman wore round brown glasses and her hair was dark red, she was wearing a light blue shirt and tan pants.

"and why would you want to go there?" The woman asked

"Well...i used to go there all the time when i was a child...it was a few years back...me and my dad used to go to this laboratory all the time, it was sort of a...place we would always go and...sell some stuff" Andrew said

"Sell some stuff? Well i don't know about any laboratory around here but this address is right where our sanctuary is or at least a couple of blocks away." She said.

"Sanctuary? for what?" Andrew asked

"For our birds, its a place where we keep birds that are endangered or animals that are extinct in the wild." the Woman said

"really...could you...take me to this Sanctuary, i am quite interested" Andrew lied

"Sure thing, hop on" she said

"thanks a lot...um" Andrew said while getting on her motorcycle

"call me Linda" She said switching on the ignition and drove faster than anyone he had ever seen, she was already reaching 70 miles per hour.

"right...My name is Andrew, nice to meet you linda"

(20 minutes later)

They had arrived at the laboratory just in time to see a man walking out the front door wearing a lab coat and he was covered in numerous feathers of different colors.

"Tulio! Look i found a tourist interested in our birds" Linda said walking towards Tulio and kissing him in the cheek.

"This place looks awfully familiar" Andrew said while he got off the bike, he walked towards Linda and Tulio.

Andrew suddenly stopped walking, he began to remember what this place looked like 15 years ago, he was only 4 and the scenery was very different than the one today. The laboratory he remembered was run down, very filthy and very disorganized but it was probably abandoned. He remembered his dad used to trade his kills and trophy's here with other poachers.

"whats wrong?" Linda asked coming towards him

Andrew was in some sort of trance, so many memories that were forgotten were remembered at a fraction of a second in his mind.

Then Linda came next to him and touched his shoulder, he was automatically pulled from his small world back to reality.

"oh…I'm sorry but i have to ask...what exactly happened here, there used to be a laboratory here...what happened to it?" Andrew said.

"Well...the person we bought this land from said it belonged to poachers once...but the area was cleared out by the police and demolished a few years after that, then Linda and I came and asked if we could buy the unused land and vuala! It is now the Blu Bird Sanctuary!" Tulio said

Andrew was quiet for a few seconds but then said "Blu...Bird Sanctuary?" Andrew asked

"yes...well you see, our sanctuary houses one of the most exotic and most rare species of birds in the world, they are called the Spix Macaw and only two of them remain and they were brought here to be enlisted in our breeding program." Tulio explained

"i see..." Andrew said quietly

Once they were inside the area, Andrew noticed that a house was situated adjacent to the sanctuary, the area had no dome but electric fences were placed to keep out intruders from entering the Sanctuary. When they got to the entrance of the house, Andrew was asked to put his belongings at the side of the door, inside. He complied and followed the two to a door, Tulio took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. The room revealed to be a place for injured birds, it was more like a miniature clinic. They walked past the birds, Andrew noticed the different birds that were inside special cubicles, hawks...Macaws...finch...many different birds that Andrew could think of.

"So Linda told me you were interested in the Sanctuary...i must ask why?" Tulio asked

"Well...i am a...bird watcher! I enjoy looking at specific birds and i tend to be a Ornithologist" Andrew lied

"well i am glad to hear that, your the first teenager to say that to us, we need more people to care about birds, some rainforests are still being demolished and many people who cut them down do not stop and think about the birds and other creatures." Tulio said

"Right..." Andrew seemingly agreed.

The 3 walked down a hall which contained living spaces for the birds inside the hospital and eventually Tulio lead Linda and Andrew to the sanctuary outside. It was vast and the Rain forest was covered in lush vegetation. This Rain forest reminded Andrew of some memories with his father when they went to get the birds. He remembered the net his father made and when he demanded his son to pull that string he did not want to pull.

Then 5 birds flew toward the balcony and landed on the perches that were available to them. One of the birds was a yellow canary, the other was a toucan, another was a Red-crested cardinal which reminded Andrew of his dream the day before. But the ones that caught his attention the most was the two Blue Spix Macaws in front of him. He remembered how valuable Blue Macaws were to the underground market, especially today.

"i see your interested in Blu and jewel" Linda said joyfully

"you...Gave them names?" Andrew asked

"yes, why not? Is it wrong to name animals?" Linda asked somewhat frustrated.

"i guess not" Andrew concluded.

They put things that were essential to the birds survival, food, water and several twigs to build or rebuild their nests. But the Male Blue Macaw was examining the human stranger as thought they had met before but he soon forgot about it and continued to drink water.

"How long have you guys had this sanctuary?" Andrew asked

"About 1 week...give or take" Linda said

"One week? dang...so you guys just opened huh." Andrew said

"Yup" Tulio said

"And how many species of birds do you have here?" Andrew asked

"Well...about 123 species of endangered birds and some other more common birds like canary and Cardinals come here. They find it a much more safer place to be because this area is protected and there are no predators here." Tulio explained

"i see...well its getting hot out here, can we go inside now?" Andrew asked

"Oh, but don't you want to take a tour inside the area first?" Tulio asked

"No, I'm fine, i think i have seen enough for one day" The teenager said

Then, the three humans went back inside for a refreshment

"What would you like to drink Andrew, water...milk, never mind we are out of milk. Maybe pepsi?" Linda asked

"water would be fine thank you" Andrew said

"Linda, I have to go pick up Fernando from school, I'll be right back" Tulio said as he ran over to Linda and gave her a kiss, she blushed a little and then said.

"alright Tulio, drive safely, oh and by the way...can you go to the grocery...we are out of Milk" Linda said while taking the water to Andrew

As Tulio went to get his keys from the table, Andrew noticed a recorder adjacent to the keys.

"Why do you have a Tape recorder?" Andrew asked

Linda handed the glass of water to Andrew

"Oh that old thing? Well...whenever i have some time off from work, i record myself with the birds inside the sanctuary, but its mainly to talk with Blu, my Blue macaw." Linda explained

Then, Andrew remembered the Two Spix Macaws...if he had not known any better, they looked exactly like the one from when his father captured.

"I must ask...how much are you willing to sell those two Blue macaws to me, i am willing to pay big for them" Andrew asked hesitantly

"What? I did not just hear that from you" Linda told Andrew

"but you are only taking care of them right? You don't actually own them right? Andrew asked

"Listen Andrew they are not for sale and that's that" Linda concluded

Andrew became angry and threw the glass of water at her but controlled his temper before he could do something else. The sound of shattering glass echoed the room and the sanctuary.

"Andrew its time for you to leave! NOW, get out! I never want to see you here again! Understand!" Linda shouted at the teenager.

"I'm sorry, listen! I really need them please!" Andrew said as he was taken out of the room, towards the front door.

Andrew was not finished with her yet, he was going to get those two macaws one way or the other. He secretly took the spare keys that Tulio and Linda had, the spare keys he took was Tulio's.

"Please Linda! listen to me!" Andrew asked her

"Goodbye Andrew!" Linda finished as she shut the door closed, but she opened it again and threw Andrew's backpack outside.

It suddenly became silent in the area...Andrew shouted, he grabbed his carry on and stumped all the way back to the street, he called for a taxi to get to the hotel. A few minutes later he arrived at the destination. The smell of sea invaded Andrew's nose, he turned around to see the sparkling ocean before him and the sky was a mixture of Blue and orange. Andrew entered the luxurious hotel and he registered and payed for two nights, his room was located in the 6th floor in room 627. He opened his room to find a rather large double mattress and a large balcony to see the ocean and nearby mountains. He went inside the bathroom and found a shower, he felt as though a bath would calm his nerves down and so he did. After a few minutes in the shower, the young adult came out with a towel and quickly dried up and got dressed again. He sat on the mattress...thinking of a way to steal the birds, was he really going to go with this? He would have to find a person to sell the birds to and these places were often dangerous. He forgot about his gun at home and even if he brought it, security at the airport would have confiscated it and arrest him. He saw a map on a table next to his bed, he grabbed it and opened it up...after a few minutes of searching, he found only two gun shops existed in Rio, both were far apart from eachother. The nearest one was in Rocinha, which was a favela. It was about 17 miles from the hotel, Andrew wrote down the address and grabbed his backpack and left the room.

(Day 2) (4:49 Pm) (Rocinha, Favela) (Gun store)

A taxi arrived in the Favela area and Andrew paid the man and left the car, Miller told Andrew once that he went to one of these Gun shops for hunting gear. He walked inside and saw a dark skinned man, he saw a huge variety of weapons on the walls; Scar-l, m4, p90, ak 47, ak 74 , kmp9, m1911, m9, desert eagle and so much more. He had his eyes set on the m1911, which would obviously be one of the only weapons to conceal and considering the pistol could use Acp .45 caliber, this interested Andrew a lot.

"Good afternoon sir, could i interest you in something?" The man spoke in fluent english

"yes, i would like to see the m1911 please" Andrew asked

"Sure thing, but...I need to see license and registration first please" The man asked

Andrew looked into his wallet and showed the man his id and drivers license, the store manager confirmed and allowed Andrew to hold the gun. It was slightly heavy for Andrew, considering the impressive metal given to the gun.

"we have had that in the shelves since 2008, no one seemed to buy this particular gun, they would always be interested in something else, when i was given that handgun, the owner told me it was used in the Vietnam war, pretty interesting but its not cheap" The man said

"how much?" Andrew asked

"R$2,000" The man said, 2,000 Brazilian currency was about 1,260.24 us dollars

"really..." Andrew thought, this was not a bad deal at all but he was going to practically waste half of his money on this gun.

"Is it a deal?" the man asked

Andrew hesitated but then said

"Deal..." Andrew took out his wallet and exchanged his money but not before this man said

"Oh...your an American...Unfortunately...i cant receive this in U.s Dollars but there is a currency exchange down the street, go exchange your money and i will see you again, yes?" The man said

Andrew left the gun shop and found the exchange, after a few minutes of waiting in line, he exchanged 2,500 us dollars into R$1,575.3 Brazilian currency and returned to the store.

"I'm back with the currency but before i buy the gun...do you have Acp rounds?" Andrew asked

"Certainly, they came in last thursday, the best i have" The man said as he showed the young adult the bullets.

"how much?" Andrew asked

"R$200" The man said

"Okay, ill take that and the gun" Andrew said as he handed the money over to the manager.

"Thank you for your time, young man" The dark skinned person said

As Andrew collected his change and case, he turned back and asked

"Thank you Mr..." Andrew was interrupted.

"Please...call me Rodriguez" The dark skinned man said

Andrew left the gun store and called for a taxi.

Now with everything he needed...All Andrew had to do for this to work was to wait for the moon to hit its highest point at midnight and then sneak in with the spare keys and somehow lure the two birds to him. The sky started to exhibit colors of dark red and orange and the taxi arrived at a few blocks away from the sanctuary, Andrew paid the taxi man and left with the case, he opened the compartment and loaded only one bullet into the magazine, he kept the other bullets inside his pocket. He went to find something to catch the birds with, he went to the nearby shacks across the street and saw some people stacking cages that were roughly the size of a small chair but they were perfect for the scenario, so he stealthy grabbed one and ran off to a nearby area adjacent to the sanctuary.

The sun exhausted all its light for the day and slowly fell below the horizon of Rio with the combined glimmers from the city's skyscrapers and the moon. Both the stars and the moon illuminated the ground well for Andrew to sneak in and steal the two rare specimens that would make him twice as rich than the previous time, but ironically, the male Blue Macaw, named Blu was captured by Andrew and his father a few years ago and is about to be captured. Andrew would have to catch the birds interest, he thought of numerous possible solutions to his problem. Food, water but those wouldn't be desirable at the peak of night so he tried to find something that would get the male Blue Macaws attention. The door of the house slowly opened and the light from outside illuminated the wooden floor, Andrew set down the cage carefully and closed the door. He searched the house and then Andrew saw the tape recorder, it was still resting on the table, he remembered the tape recorder that Linda had to record her moments with the animals in the facility. So if this worked he would be ten times richer then he was before if Tulio was right about these specific Macaws.

He quickly remembered where the Sanctuary was and he tip toed all the way there with the cage in one hang and the recorder in the other. The birds were sound asleep but one false move could jeopardize his motive.

"there it is" Andrew said in his mind

He opened the door to the sanctuary and felt the slight breeze of fresh air on his face. He set the cage down and hid it in the darkness while he played the recorder which echoed all over the sanctuary. He crawled to the dark shade where the cage was and waited eagerly.

The noise of the recorder hit Blu's ears and he immediately woke from his slumber and heard the yells of his human companion, he quickly flew to the balcony. Jewel was accidentally awoken too by Blu's swift movements.

"Blu? Where are you going? Blu could not hear jewels question in time. Jewel could also hear Linda's voice so she followed suit.

(Song: **Anastasia - Soundtrack 1 "Prologue" **(4:12 - 6:23) )

Blu landed on the perch where he was earlier that day and was confused, Linda was nowhere to be found but before he could react a shadow appeared behind him very slowly with an evil grin and a cage ready to sell him for the highest bid.

Blu saw the tape recorder and realized this was a trap but it was too late and the cage blocked all forms of escape, Andrew made sure to put a lock on the cage as well just encase of accidental mishaps.

"Blu!" Jewel was dashing toward Andrew at high speeds but he closed the door tightly but in his haste has disturbed the animals inside and therefore waking up Linda and Tulio.

With his position compromised by different Scenarios he only had two choices. Leave the cage and run or Risk being caught and still making it out with the rarest bird in Rio De Janeiro. He did not care about the other bird because the price of one will be tripled anyways.

"Rafael!" Jewel screamed at the top of her lungs in desperate search for the toucan

"what is it Jewel? something wrong?"

"Blu was bird napped! I saw someone take him in a cage!" Jewel said out of breath.

"aye…get the others while i go look for Blu" Rafael said as he took flight

Andrew had done it! He would have never believed it but he caught the infamous Blue spix twice in his lifetime but this time he would have all he ever wanted that would last more than a lifetime. But his excitement was short lived.

Rafael eventually found Blu and saw who was carrying him, it was the young man he saw earlier with Linda and Tulio. Rafael looked for a way to immobilize the human long enough for him to rescue Blu. He swooped down from the sky and with all his might he crashed into Andrews left leg, Andrew immediately dropped the cage and felt extreme pain in his leg.

While Andrew was writhing in pain, Rafael tried to use his large beak to break the lock that kept Blu inside the cage but it was pointless, the lock was reinforced metal.

"Rafael! Thank god your here" Blu said joyfully.

"yeah…hold on Blu, this might take a while" Rafael said as he kept trying to break the lock.

Andrews pain subsided and he was very angry now, he was not just going to let some stupid bird ruin his opportunities of fortune, not after all he went through back there. So he pulled out his m1911 that he bought from the gun shop and aimed it at Rafael. And like the other countless animals he killed, he never hesitated and he was not going to in this scenario.

Blu looked in horror at the scene in front of him, his dear friend was about to be shot dead by one of the most powerful weapons ever divised for Close quarters combat, he once read that one single bullet from this gun could shatter a bulletproof vest easily with the right caliber. So he quickly yelled to Rafael to fly away.

"Rafael get out of the way! he has a gun!" Blu shouted

Rafael looked behind him to see the young adult with the weapon, the toucan's eyes widened.

Everything was happening so slowly that time itself seemed to cease to exist. Andrew then heard a voice that couldn't come from anywhere else around here, considering their was not any humans around. It was the Blue macaw.

"Don't do it!" Blu cried out, but his language was obviously different from Andrew's, so the human did not hear the exact word but The loud squawk from the Macaw rang in Andrew's ear, it was enough to hurt them and he lost his aim and accidentally shot the lock

Rafael had time to fly out of the weapons range before this happened

Andrew was unlucky though, he only had one bullet in his magazine and was cursing at his failed attempt, he suddenly reached into his pocket to load more bullets into his gun...

_Then, out of the forest came a very strong wind and all time seemed to freeze, everyone but Andrew and a familiar being were the only ones that seemed to move._

Andrew noticed_ that the birds were still, they were like statues to him, the wind began to swell until it formed a familiar God.  
><em>

Dionysus, The God of nature appeared in his true human form and was disgusted at Andrews greed.

_Have you not learned child! You have not learned what is the meaning of life but instead you show me Cruelty, hatred toward innocent animals and willingness to kill them for all the money in the world this is unacceptable! You shall be punished!_

Andrew quickly tried to load his pistol but as soon as he almost put the first bullet into the magazine, Dionysus made all the bullets disappear from the young adult. Andrew tried to stand up and make a run for it but realized it was futile, his left leg was fractured and was immobilized. So all he had to testify was his words.

"you don't understand Dionysus, it is survival of the fittest, Nothing more." Andrew said

Dionysus realized that this human's heart was indeed filled with evil, his actions speak for himself and yet he makes it seem like it is natural

_The difference between killing animals and killing them in cold blood is the fact that most humans do it for food and not for spo__rt or for just bloodshed. Your morals are set in the wrong direction my child. But this cannot go any further without action._

"what are you going to do Dionysus…" Andrew was scared out of his guts, but why wouldn't he be? After all, his fate was being sealed by a powerful God.

The God in front of him was in some sort of meditation and was whispering several gibberish words and before Andrew knew it, he was put into a sensation of pain he never felt before, the young adult dropped the M1911 and started to transform. His bones twisted and turned, his arms transformed into something very foreign from the one he knew for 18 years.

"What...what are you doing to me!" Andrew shouted

Andrew heard a loud ripping sound and he looked to see it was his shoes, small talons were his feet now

His entire body shrank to the size of the average bird, his clothes became too big for him and his face became deformed but then his entire mouth reshaped, turning into a birds beak.

His transformation was over and Dionysus took Andrews clothes and made them disappear in the blink of an eye.

_Let us see how you do when you are the very thing you despise _

The God left Andrew alone in the dark, Time resumed and everything was back to normal.

Because of the initial pain and shock from the transformation, Andrew passed out in the notably larger plants but not before seeing Blu and Rafael coming to help him.


	4. Aftershock

Chapter 4

(9:23 Am) (Day 3) (Los Angeles International Airport)

Mr. Miller had been informed that his son booked a flight to Rio De Janeiro two days ago and was desperate to go find him there but very bad weather, including a very rare tornado warning hit the city of Los Angeles and the FAA grounded all flights for the remainder of the storm. In Orange County there had already been a few casualties involving the tornado.

"This wave of unexpected storms has brought Los Angeles to its knees today when an EF2 type tornado caused some roofs to fall off and some large trees were partially destroyed and their had also been reports of power outages throughout the area, effectively shutting off the county for a few hours. We advise people to keep calm and to stay in their homes and follow all what is said in their radio's and prepare for the worst storm season we have ever faced in this city. In many super markets their have been a low supply of tin food, water and many other items although there are no shortage of stocks."

All Mr. Miller could do was wait out the storm and then pray his only son was alright. He took out Andrew's phone and dialed 786 - 203 - 3983

Miller called Nicholas.

"hello? is this Andrew? I am glad you called again...i just wanted..." Nicholas was interrupted

"no, this is his father" Miller answered

"oh...Mr Miller, why did he say he was going to Rio for? is he with you? can i speak with him?" Nicholas lied

"Andrew...ran away from home, I'm calling to ask you if he told you exactly where he was going in Rio." Miller asked.

"He said something about a lab..." Nicholas said

"did he give you the address?" Miller asked

"no...i dont live in Rio, Mr miller, why would he..." Nicholas was interrupted again

"Any clues? like a monument? of some sort? or company?"

"nope...dont know why hes going to a lab?" Nicholas lied again

"Thank you, Nicholas, have a nice day" Mr Miller concluded

"you to, and tell Andrew what ever he is doing is stupid" Nicholas finished.

"I will..." Miller finished as he hanged up the phone.

(9:27 Am) (Day 3) (Rio De Janeiro)

The unconscious Red –crested Cardinal was being examined by Tulio while Linda was looking for clues as to who was responsible for last nights incident. She found her recorder on the perch where Blu was kidnapped and remembered she left it on the table before she went to bed. So the kidnapper knew she had connections with the 2 macaws, automatically her first suspect was Andrew and her evidence further strengthened when she found Tulio's house keys. She knew Tulio had set them in the living room right before he left to pick up Fernando from school.

"I think he's coming out of it, his left leg is going to take a few days or maybe weeks to heal" Tulio said while applying first aid to the damaged area.

"Tulio, I think it was that boy who came to see us yesterday who was responsible" Linda said while cleaning up the mess that was left behind the day before.

"What? Andrew? Why would he want to steal Blu?" Tulio asked with curiosity

"Because he wanted to buy Blu from me, I think he's a poacher, before I told him to leave, he showed me an expression that was nothing I have ever seen from a boy before."

"If what are you are saying is true how did he get in?"

"He took your keys Tulio and he almost got away with my best friend." Linda retorted.

Fernando entered the house with a gun that was fired at the birds, it was uncocked and had Andrews finger prints all over it.

"Look what I found guys; does this mean we have to deal with poachers again?" Fernando said carefully handing the weapon to Tulio.

"We better call the police for this and see who gave Andrew this gun" Tulio said taking out his cell phone and dialing the emergency number.

"There are only about 2 gun shops in Rio, and I think both of them are far apart from each other" Fernando said

"And how do you know Fernando?" Linda retorted.

"I heard Marcel and his goons talk about it a few weeks ago" Fernando finished.

"In that case we need to go see the smugglers then" Tulio said asking Fernando to come with him

"I'm not leaving the birds alone Tulio" Linda argued.

"Then stay here with them and make sure that bird gets a lot of food and water" Tulio said leaving the house with Fernando.

"I will Tulio, good luck finding Andrew" Linda said

(9:32 AM) (Day 3) = Andrews Pov =

I woke up from my nightmare only to find myself in a new one, five birds were around me. The Red-crested Cardinal and the Yellow Canary who was wearing a bottle cap, the two Blue Spix macaws and the toucan. All my frustration was centered on the toucan, the one who ruined my chance to have everything I wanted and broke my left leg.

Then…I stopped to realize that the environment around me was very much different, everything was animated like my dream was. I had not found out yet that I was also eye level to the birds which scared me.

I looked down…and gasped and then screamed with all I had inside me. The scream was enough to disturb all the birds in the sanctuary.

(9:35 AM) = Third person Pov =

"Guys! Give him some space please! The poor thing must have been traumatized because of what happened last night" Linda asked the five animals to move back about 5 steps while she left the room for a little bit.

"So where did you guys find him?" Nico the canary asked.

"He was just lying on the ground unconscious next to where Blu's perpetrator was; I guess after he tried to kill me, he ran of." Rafael said to Nico

"Whoa! Whoa! He looks like me…but he needs some extra weigh, he is too thin" Pedro said

"Hey! Your right he does look like you but he's kind of small for his age doncha thing? Nico agreed.

"But how did he end up where the criminal was?" Jewel asked Blu

"We don't know, it's as if he magically appeared from nowhere" Blu knew there couldn't have been any bird's around them. They found the bird at the exact spot where Andrew discharged his weapon so how could Andrew have moved so fast without them knowing?

Andrew could not believe what was happening in front of him, had he lost his sanity? He thought he was dreaming again so he tried to pinch himself but discovered that his hands were now his wings with grayish color and his belly was black, his head was that of a regular cardinal which was red. And just like in his dream he was the very thing he hated most, a bird.

"Birds can't talk! I must be dreaming! This cant be true, it just can't be!" Andrew was shouting

"What do you mean we can't talk? Are you okay?" Jewel asked

"No! I am not okay; I am a human not a bird! Well it doesn't matter anyway, any minute now I will wake up in my bed and none of this would have ever happened!"

The five birds just stood there then laughed at the cardinal's comment. Andrew tried everything to wake up but it was useless, it wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare for him.

"Okay, stop messing around kid" Rafael said, stopping everybody from laughing

"You're the one who caused all this! If it wasn't for you, I would have been back home and without a broken leg! Andrew yelled at Rafael

"What? How was I responsible for hurting you? I was helping my friend escape from a poacher! What's your excuse?

Andrew just stood there for a good ten seconds, he hated the toucan with all his heart and he blamed the animal for his suffering and demise.

"Rafael…calm down please, and you too, there's no need for fighting." Blu said

"Look guys, let's just calm down and introduce each other, hi! My name is Jewel"

The round Red-crested cardinal, Pedro, flew next to Andrew and greeted him with a wing

"Don't let him get to you, things been tough lately with him ever since his mate was captured by a poacher"

"You're not from around here are you? Are you a tourist? By the way, the name's Nico" Nico said to Andrew.

"And as you probably guessed…my name is Blu"

Andrew was staring at the very creature that almost made him super rich. Rafael didn't bother to show his face to Andrew.

Blu sighed

"And that's Rafael"

Then everybody but Rafael asked at the same time "what's yours?" there was an immediate awkward silence except for a bird that kept on shouting "Im a pretty bird! Im a pretty bird!"

Had Andrew revealed his name he would most likely be in a lot of trouble so he tried to come up with a new name that would suit him. Clyde was a local bully at his school but he and Andrew never had problems with each other until one day Clyde decided to test Andrew and see if he was really brave enough to confront him. Andrew showed his true nature and scared the living guys out of Clyde and both of them went their own way after that.

"I'm…Clyde" Andrew answered

Silence continued to be the dominant sound in the room.

"Well…okay Clyde, we will leave you alone for a bit, call us if you need anything okay?" Jewel said, signaling the others to follow. Rafael looked back at the once human cardinal and gave a mean look at him.

Linda came back in and saw the bird all alone.

Andrew was still shocked by this experience, so Dionysus really did turn him into a bird and this was indeed happening right now. Andrew saw Linda approaching and he tried to run away but his limit in running due to his new anatomy and his injury prevented that. He even tried to fly away, much to his dismay he was like a newborn and didn't know how things worked. He was useless; he was a free meal to any predator who might try to have him for supper.

"Whoa! Calm down little guy, I'm just checking your leg" Linda carefully examined his leg

"No bullet wound…then how could you have been hurt during the skirmish..."

Linda was puzzled; nothing could explain how he ended up like this. The only viable explanation is that he was attacked by a predator and survived. But she knew this couldn't be true unless the sounds of the gunfire disturbed the predator and it ran off. So she checked Andrew's leg for claw marks or bite marks but nothing was found. So, she concluded with a reasonable explanation, he fell during flight. It sounded very stupid but it was the only explanation she had so far. Linda studied with some birds and remarkably found their intelligence for solving puzzles. Linda never gave Blu puzzles to solve so she never knew exactly how this worked. Thankfully there was an alphabet puzzle on the desk in Tulio's office and she brought it to Andrew/Clyde.

"Let's see how smart you are" Linda said quietly while putting the words in scrambles.

Clyde's eyebrows changed to a more annoyed position

"Does she think I am stupid?" Andrew thought

The letters in front of him consisted of **DBRI**

"I guess she does..." Andrew said under his breath**  
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"Spell out **Bird** for me" Linda said.

Andrew sighed

"Fine...ill play you're little game" Andrew said

He complied and put the letters together to form **BIRD**

"Well you are smart at least, but let's try something harder" Linda said

The next set of letters consisted of **IEIFRNHPDS**

"Spell out **Friendship** for me" He did and it greatly impressed Linda.

"Wow…most birds could only go up to Bird, except for Blu, who could spell out** Super califrag ilistic expia lidocious** in about 10 seconds" Linda said

Andrew had to admit, he had nothing else to do so solving puzzles kept his mind off things for a while.

"I guess that's it for today" Linda said while taking the alphabet puzzle back to Tulio's office.

Andrew's right wing suddenly became itchy and almost unbearable. He had no hands to scratch it. Just when he thought it was useless to try, he saw a nearby bird scratch its wings with its beak.

"Oh hell no…I am not doing that if it's the last thing I do." But his instincts began to take over and the itchiness became too much for him so he suddenly used his beak to groom his wings.

"Look at myself…I am acting like an animal now…" Andrew felt like he could cry for the first time in fifteen years but chose not to.

Then Linda came back in and took Andrew to a more suitable place. At first he was frightened but accepted Linda's soft hands and began to stroke his Grey feathers softy.

He let out a satisfied noise and then taken to a suitable place where he could stay for a few days. His area had many things he could be busy with for a few days, personal toys for him to play with. His own food bowl and water tank. At first the sight amazed Andrew but he then realized what he was being reduced to, a Pet.

Linda set him down and said. "What should I call you?"

She was thinking hard and finally came up with one"

"Oh! I know! Censario!" She said joyfully

As if two names weren't enough and now three? Jeez today was a real pain in the ass for Andrew. Linda said goodbye to Andrew/Clyde/Censario and left to the sanctuary which was just down the hall.

He was alone again and everything that had happened in the last thirty minutes was still processing in his brain.

"What's happening to me, mother?" he asked himself before looking at the Enclosure around him.


	5. Getting answers

Chapter 5

(10:47 AM) (Day 3) (Polinter De Queimados Jail) (11 miles from the sanctuary)

This particular prison had an awkward history, in 2010 around early May; a man by the name of Jorge Magno, a prosecutor from Niteroi, arrived here and was surprised to see all the inmates doing what they wanted. One prisoner happily opened the door for him and invited him in; the prison was being operated by inmates. Some time later, security was once again restored in this facility and most of the inmates had been given better mattresses, some television sets and better living space.

Tulio and Fernando came here to see Marcel, Tipa and Armando; the three smugglers that almost got away with Blu, Jewel and many other birds including Pedro, Nico and Rafael. The three goons have been behind bars for a good three weeks now. Marcel immediately recognized Fernando and his first thought was that Fernando was going to bail them out.

"Fernando! You came to bail us out didn't you?" Marcel said to Fernando

There was a short silence before Marcel said

"Sigh…your not here to bail us out are you...what do you want then kid" Marcel said sitting down on his bed and lying down.

"Do you or did you know anyone by the name Miller? Or Andrew?" Tulio said

Again a prolonged silence

"Miller? Hmm sounds familiar but why should I tell you anything" Marcel said still lying down on his bed

"Because he almost captured the Blue macaw you guys tried to steal from Linda a few weeks back" Fernando retorted

"Wait…your telling me someone other than us knew about the Blue Macaws?" Armando said

"He was a poacher himself and he probably had ties with all three of you" Tulio said showing the smugglers the empty M1911.

"Hmm I think I know who you are talking about" Tipa said walking to the bars

"Shut up Tipa, don't say anything" Armando said silently

"I don't think I know anyone by the name of Andrew though, and as for Miller, he was the one responsible for the disappearance of many birds in some areas a few years ago." Tipa said

"Wait so, Miller is not Andrew?" Fernando said.

"No, Miller was a 6 foot tall poacher who would spend most of his time hunting for the rarest of birds, but I think he did have a son, my father knows more about him than anyone else, if you go see him he might tell you more about who your looking for." Tipa said

"How do we get to your father?" Tulio asked

"Do you have something to write with and something to write on? Tipa asked

Tulio took out a pen and a notebook and handed it to Tipa and Tipa wrote the address to Tulio on his notebook and then handed it back to him. Tulio and Fernando thanked him and began to walk away before Tipa yelled

"Wait! What do I get in return?" Tipa said.

"A better jail cell I guess? I don't know but thanks for the info Tipa!" Fernando said while leaving

Marcel stood up from his bed then went over and gave Tipa a big slap on the head

"Idiot…"

"Ow! Marcel what the hell did I do wrong?" Tipa asked Marcal

(Outside of Polinter De Queimados Prison)

15682 SW R Osorio de Almeida St; Portugal Av.

"Alright Fernando, I think we should go tell Linda about this before we continue" Tulio said switching on the ignition.

(12:07 Pm) (Day 3) (The bird clinic)

"What? But I can't leave all the birds here alone, Tulio" Linda said taking a seat in the couch

"Don't worry! Ill have Sylvio come over and…" Tulio stopped when he saw Linda's expression, she was like "are you serious?"

Sylvio looked like the perfect body guard but with the rag incident involving Nigel, Linda couldn't take Sylvio seriously.

"Oh right…I forgot about the whole rag incident" Tulio said

"Maybe I can stay and watch over them" Fernando asked

Linda and Tulio had a small private conversation and finally agreed to let Fernando stay.

"You can stay under one condition" Tulio said

"Great! What is it?" Fernando asked gleefully

Fernando had to clean all the droppings in the clinic and house, not really what a kid wanted to do on a Saturday.

"Why did I say yes?" Fernando said to himself

(2:04 Pm) (Day 3)

Andrew was getting bored of his living space already, he missed going anywhere he wanted and he also missed being human and doing everything he liked. This was truly a nightmare for him. He felt like nothing made sense anymore, science couldn't explain the situation he was in. While he was having his idol-moment, Pedro came inside from the sanctuary and noticed how sad Andrew/Clyde was; maybe it was because he was alone and had no one to talk to.

"Need some company?" Pedro landed on Andrews's perch which Andrew has not used yet.

"Leave me alone; can't you see I am grieving?" Andrew responded coldly

Andrew/Clyde was obviously acting like a total Cack, but Pedro wanted to cheer him up after what happened earlier today.

"Chill out Clyde, I just wanted to strike a conversation with you"

"Like what?" Andrew asked

"Well…like…where you are from and how you ended up getting in our mess" Pedro said

"Los Angeles and how I got into your mess is none of your concern" Andrew said

"Of course it's my concern, you coulda been killed back there, you better thank Rafael and Blu for saving you, because you wouldn't have lasted long on your own with a leg like that" Pedro retorted

"Why do you care what happens to me? I don't need anybody's help, I can look after myself" Andrew said while limping to the corner.

"Why are you so arrogant? Ive never seen any bird act like this before, did you lose someone you love?" Pedro asked

"I lost everything I loved…" Andrew said

"Doesn't mean you can't start over again Clyde" Pedro insisted

"You don't understand" Andrew told Pedro

"You can't let grief restrict you from doing what you like the most" Pedro still insisted

"I like the most? I hate doing these things, I hate living like this" Andrew

"You have to let that leg heal before you can walk or even fly again"

"I…don't know how to fly…" Andrew said quietly

"You don't know how to what?" Pedro asked curiously

"I…don't know how to fly okay? I am still new to this"

"But Clyde…you can't be a hatchling, you sure don't look like one" Pedro asked surprised

"I…never learned, okay?" Andrew lied

"So your like how Blu was a few weeks ago? Pedro was curious now

"What about Blu?" Andrew asked

"well, funny story really, Blu lived in captivity all his life and never Learned how to fly so one day he came to Rio to meet Jewel and Jewel showed him the meaning of life by following the rhythm of his heart." Pedro successfully got Andrews full attention

"Rhythm of his heart?" Andrew asked

"Listen Clyde, you can't see the world around you with a closed mindset, you have to be more open toward others." Pedro said

"By following my heart?" Andrew said

"Yea…you gotta be more into things around you, no girl's ganna like you with that attitude you have" Pedro told Andrew

Andrew thought about what Pedro said and it sounded awkward to him, He was interested in human girls, not female birds.

"So you're a tourist right? Do they dance much in Los Angeles?" Pedro

"No, we just have forest fires, high crime rates and ignorant people" Andrew answered

"Doesn't sound like the perfect place for a bird to live at" Pedro said

"What about you, what do you guys have here?" Andrew asked Pedro as they continued building up their friendship little by little.

(3:27 Pm) (Day 3) (R Osorio de Almeida Street)

Tulio and Linda arrived at the street just in time to see Tipa's father take out the trash.

"Excuse me sir, we would like a few minutes of your time to get some Information" Tulio said walking over to Tipa's father

"How can I help you people?" He asked politely

"Your son told me that you knew somebody by the name Miller?"

"My son? Oh yes, are you talking about Mr. Miller and his son Andrew? Tipa's father asked

"Yes, we would like to know how close they were to you" Tulio answered

He was silent but then said "Come inside, my wife isn't home yet, ill tell you all you need to know about them and by the way call me Diego Dominguez." He invited them inside his home.

The house was full of taxidermy; all the animals, long dead, were mounted or displayed all over this mans house. Linda was scared to be here so Tulio kept her close.

"So you're a taxidermist?" Linda said

"Used to be until I realized what I was doing was against nature" Diego said as he lead them to the kitchen and showed them were the table was. The light in the room was very dim and it had created a very creepy setting.

**(****Song: Heavy rain – Scott Shelby's theme)**

"So if you used to be a taxidermist, why do you still have these animals here?" Tulio asked

"Because I believe they need some company in their afterlife, since they didn't decay like they were supposed to. Diego said while walking to the kitchen counter.

"Would you like a drink? You both look parched" Diego asked

"Sure…shaken not stirred please" Linda said nervously

"Me too" Tulio said

Diego lifted an eyebrow before returning to serving the drinks for the thirsty duo.

"So…you folks wanted to know about Miller and his son, well it's a long story so I suggest you both get comfortable" Diego told them as he handed them their drinks.

"Miller was a quiet type; he was socially awkward with those around him and if anybody hadn't known better they wouldn't have messed with him. His only interest's was hunting and poaching of course then one day he took his son to go hunting with him in the nearby forest. Both of them captured so many birds and most of which were protected by the government but it was not enforced until after the incident. He came to my house and offered me all the birds for about 100 million dollars which was way too much so he lowered the price significantly to about a million to about three million. I agreed because of the opportunity I had to sell the birds to a company that wanted them. I also agreed because he was my best friend at the time and I couldn't let him down, we were both friends since high school and we both shared our similarities except I wasn't the killer, I was the taxidermist and the one who sold the birds to a higher firm. But when I saw his son, Andrew, I noticed the boy was crying and he was covered in blood. Miller then pulled out the most amazing sight I had ever seen at the time, a rare baby Blue Spix macaw.

This hit Linda's ears

"The macaw was just a few weeks old and Miller sold it to me for about 200 thousand dollars and then I sold it to a company that sold the animals like the baby Blue Spix where they imported them to the United States."

Linda was shocked; this baby Blue Spix couldn't have been her faithful companion, Blu.

"What happened then?" Tulio asked

"Well…the government made it illegal to hunt in the rainforest which was a serious blow to Miller and he was forced to move away, we both parted ways and I never saw him again after that, and that's just about all I know about them" Diego finished.

"Wait, do you remember where that Blue Macaw ended up after you sold him?"

"I believe they were going to send him to Minnesota" Diego said

Linda couldn't believe it, it had all made sense now, how Blu ended up at Minnesota but she wanted to be absolutely sure.

"Listen Diego, do you know more about the Baby Blue macaw" Linda asked

"Well, after he showed me the rare beauty, his son was carrying a dead Blue colored bird in his hands and I believe it was the mother of the Baby blue Spix, his father told him to tell me to stuff it and I did, would you like to see it?"

They went to the living room and where the T.V. was, a creature was staring endlessly at them. Linda was still, her heart raced; it all definitely made sense now. She backed away with tears, dropped the glass drink she was carrying and ran out the front door.

But the creature kept staring Ever so softly at Diego and Tulio…


	6. Becoming one of them

Chapter 6

(3:43 PM) (Day 3) (Tipa's residence)

Linda had never been so shocked in all her life, this man STUFFED Blu's mother and he showed no emotion towards the act. She was crying excessively, Tulio came and immediately hugged her tightly.

"Im…sorry if I hurt your feelings" Diego came out of the house toward the duo

"Why….why did you say yes then?" Linda became angry as she wiped her tears off her pain stricken face.

"Because it was my job and I had to make money to keep this roof on, and I had to feed my children so they can live another day." Diego retorted

"Listen Diego, we got all the information we wanted, thank you for your time." Tulio said, grabbing Linda and heading for his Alfa-Romeo 8C Competizione.

"I may not be a Taxidermist anymore but I still have some birds for sale if you want any, some Illegal poachers still come and give me some birds in exchange for money." Diego told them

Before they got in the car, both Linda and Tulio looked at each other then back to Diego.

"If you're interested, I will be glad to show you some of the exotic pets that need a home." Diego finished, showing them inside the garage.

Both Tulio and Linda thought about it, if they bought these birds, the birds would be able to have all the freedom they would ever need at the sanctuary. So they agreed and they followed him.

It was dark and damp, that darkness was eliminated when Diego's finger had touched the light switch but in doing so, it disturbed all the birds that were sleeping in their cages and it suddenly became noisy. One bird was a toucan and it looked a lot like Rafael's mate, and indeed it was, it was Eva.

Tulio and Linda immediately recognized Eva; both of them had helped Rafael take care of his 17 offspring ever since she went missing.

"How much is the toucan worth?" Tulio asked

"She is not for sale" Diego responded

"What? Why not?" Linda asked rather abruptly.

"Because she is too be sold to the company, I already agreed and she's being taken to Chicago in six days" Diego concluded

"Is there someway we can buy her off you? Like can you tell the company you changed your mind?" Tulio asked

"Well…there is a way…but here is my proposition, if you get my son out of jail then I will exchange the toucan to you for free, how does that sound?" Diego answered

Both Linda and Tulio agreed and both of them bought all the other birds in the meantime, how they would bail out Tipa was going to be difficult.

(5:21 PM) (Day 3) (The bird clinic)

"So who was the king of Carnival?" Andrew/Clyde asked

"You'd be surprised who it was" Pedro said

"Tell me anyway, come on!" Clyde begged Pedro.

"It was Rafael, in his glory days" Pedro answered

"No way…Rafael couldn't have been King of Carnival" Clyde denied

"Oh but he was, and he was quite a good dancer too, he still is actually." Pedro confirmed

"I dunno, it just seems like it's impossible for "him" to be King of Carnival"

"And why is that? Cause of the way he acted towards you earlier? Once you get to know him, he's a pretty cool toucan." Pedro convinced Andrew a little, but Andrew still felt as though he would always hate Rafael.

Then…Nico came inside, he was wondering where his best friend was until he saw Pedro talking to Clyde. He flew over to them and interrupted there conversation.

"Yo Pedro! You're missing out man! Everyone out here is wondering where you are!" Nico told Pedro

"You guys started without me!" Pedro asked

"No, but we will if you don't come soon" Nico caught his attention on Andrew and then said

"Oh…you can come too if ya want Clyde, I mean…all birds like Samba am I right? Nico said while flying off.

"Does he know I can't walk or fly?" Clyde asked

"Nope, I haven't told Nico yet" Pedro answered.

Clyde was curious as to what exactly they were going to do outside, still feeling useless he felt so insignificant.

"Well…catch you later I guess" Pedro said taking flight and going out but not before he started feeling bad that Clyde was going to miss out on all the fun

Clyde just went back to playing with the toys he had in his area, but not before he saw Pedro come back with Blu and Jewel.

"So, you want to know how to dance Samba?" Blu asked.

Clyde couldn't help but smile while Blu and Jewel softly grabbed his back and carried him outside to where the sanctuary was and the bright light almost blinded Clyde. But once outside, the scenery amazed him. Many kinds of birds were on branches, trees and stumps. They all were dancing and the music they made amazed Andrew, the scene in front of him was unlike anything he had ever seen before, or was it? He remembered how he first caught similar birds with his dad and the music these birds made was unbelievable.

Pedro knew Clyde was opening up to the whole world around him and he was asked by Nico to join in the song they were about to sing.

"I can't…my leg" Clyde said

"It's alright, just move your hips, all you gotta do, Clyde" Nico insisted

(**Hot wings**)

The Sun was just setting down in the landscape and some natural lights were illuminating down on all the birds, creating a very familiar setting.

**Party in the open evening, baby! **Pedro shouted with joy

Nico flew by Pedro and sat on a tree stump

**I wanna party**

**I wanna Samba**

**I wanna party**

**I wanna Samba**

**I wanna party and live my life**

**(Live my life!) **

**I wanna party and Fly **

**(Party!)**

Immediately, all the birds around him took to the sky and began making beautiful patterns around the area. Andrew was amazed by the sheer sight of this, how could he ever think that birds were stupid animals?

**(Hey!) Imma fly, fly just like the birds**

**(**Pedro:** But chu are a bird) **

**Oh yea... that's right so let me fly just like a rocket then**

(Pedro: **Ok**)

**Fly so high were I need to come down for oxygen **

**(Hey!) **

**Hey cause once we start it baby Aint no Aint No stopping then**

**(Hey!)**

**Cause I just wanna live my life and party**

**(Hey!)**

**All I want is to be free and rock my body**

(Pedro: Ok!**)**

This music had Andrew wanting to dance for the first time ever since he first stumbled on the rainforest many years ago. He didn't care about his leg anymore, he just let himself be free and follow the rhythm of the other birds.

**And Around the World And I Wanna life my life**

**In Rio**

**Cause of Rio**

**Cause of Rio**

**Rio Lajula!**

Andrew was getting into it! He couldn't believe what he had been missing all his life, a few hours ago; he hated birds for the most stupid reason and its amazing how he seemingly "changed"

"See what you've been missing!" Pedro said to Andrew/Clyde

**I wanna party (party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (party)**

**And fly! **

"Clyde has it going on!" Pedro said

Blu and Jewel were happy to see the newcomer dancing to their music

**Pedro**: **I'm that Samba, Samba Master**

**Master Master Master Master**

**Who Shouts Out?**

**Imma get your blaster, blaster **

**Blaster, blaster, blaster **

**You dance fast but I dance faster**

**Faster, faster, faster, faster **

**You're too slow**

**You need to catch up**

**(You can Dance, and dance, but I) **

**I wanna party (Party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (Party) and live my life (my life) **

**I wanna party (Party) **

**And fly!**

Then, Andrew saw that Blu and Jewel were engaging in their own duet dance and Jewel Jumped into the air and started her own solo which blew Andrew away.

**Nico**: **Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey**

**Jewel**:** lly y ally yyall yyall aaa aaaa**

**Lly y ally ya llyy ally ally yall yally yally yall yaaa**

**Nico****: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey**

**Pedro****: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey **

**Both: Hey, hey, hey, hey**

As they finished the song, applause could be heard everywhere around them. Andrew felt so free when he danced with all the birds, a sensation he never had as a human. It seemed as though he finally understood the meaning of life. But unbeknownst to him, his left leg had gotten too much stress on itself and he collapsed and everyone around him gasped. He couldn't move, he saw Pedro and the others rush to his help. Out in the distance, Rafael was watching.

(6:37 Pm) (Day 3)

Linda and Tulio came home with all the birds they had purchased from Diego and set them down on the table. Fernando was sound asleep, exhausted from all the hard work he had to do. Then they saw Blu, Jewel, Pedro and Nico; gathered around Andrew, he was in terrible pain, he aggravated his injury and would be unable to even stand for a while.

"What happened to him!" Linda asked, running to examine Andrew

The four birds standing before Andrew suddenly felt guilt, if it wasn't for them, his injury would have healed earlier but now it seemed as though his injury would last for weeks to come and Linda might even have to put him to sleep.

"This is bad; we have to treat this leg right away, Tulio!" Linda shouted

"Ill get everything set up" Tulio said

"Censario's leg is in really bad shape, Tulio" Linda said

"Oh, I see you gave him a name?" Tulio asked

"Not now Tulio!" Linda shouted

"Right….sorry" Tulio finished

Hours passed, minutes raced, but the feeling of guilt had not. Pedro felt as though he was the one responsible for this incident.

Eventually, Linda and Tulio did all they could and they managed to heal Andrews leg to some extent. None of the birds were allowed to see Andrew for a few days; he was in what you would call intensive care unit.

Days passed and Andrew's leg slowly began to heal but in the long run would take about a few weeks to heal.

(7:31 AM) (Day 7)

Meanwhile, Tulio and Linda ran out of options on how to bail Tipa out, it was only 2 days until Eva would be sent to America.

"I don't understand, lets just bail him out by paying it" Linda said

"They told me it would take a week, we don't have a week" Tulio answered

"So what do you want us to do? Break him out of jail?" Linda asked Tulio

"It seems like the only way" Tulio said softly

"I know it sounds chalice but are we really going to risk going to jail ourselves for a toucan?" Linda told Tulio

"Maybe we can have someone do it for us, someone who's done it before" Tulio said

"Tulio…" Linda said coldly

"You're…right…what am I thinking" Tulio said

"Who are you going to bail?" a voice said from the early morning shadows.

It was Fernando.

"Tipa, his father has Eva and if we don't bail his son out in 2 days, all hopes of saving Eva will be lost" Linda answered

"Its not that hard really, all routes to the jail are in the sewers" Fernando said

"You want us to go into a stinky, smelly sewer?" Tulio asked

"Do you want to save Eva?" Fernando responded

Tulio and Linda were looking at each other then back to Fernando. Did they really have a choice?

"Okay Fernando, what's your plan" Linda asked

"Okay, heres how its ganna go." Fernando explained


	7. Posted Bail

(7:41 Am) (Day 7) (10 minutes later)

"Okay, so someone needs to distract the guards while the other 2 go through the sewer and find Tipa's jail cell. Remember that there are several routes to the sewer but some lead to a dead end, if we end up at one of those dead ends, we might lose a lot of time to save Tipa. We might also need one of the birds to get the jail guard's keys." Fernando explained

"Maybe Blu?" Tulio asked

"No way! I am not putting Blu's life in danger" Linda had said rather abruptly

"But he's the most agile on foot, and this is a stealth mission so if we don't get caught while doing this, none of us will get hurt." Fernando explained again

"maybe…just maybe…Blu can do the same thing Marcel's pet cockatoo did" Pretend to be sick and get an easy access!" Tulio said

"Great idea! But then, will he knock them out with a rag? Sounds kind of ridiculous but it might work." Fernando said

"I am not letting Blu do this on his own" Linda said

"Don't worry Linda, ill be by his side all the time" Tulio convinced Linda

"Well…we should at least take Jewel too, just in case" Linda said

"What ever makes this works, lets just hope it all works out in the end" Tulio said walking over to Linda but accidently tripping on some of the toys left behind by the other birds. Linda giggled and walked over to help Tulio.

"You're still the clumsy Tulio I met 4 weeks ago" Linda said kissing Tulio, Tulio suddenly got Red but he too felt compelled to kiss her.

"Guys! Can you do that later?" Fernando interrupted

Both Tulio and Linda stopped and followed Fernando to Tulio's car, Tulio switched the Ignition while Linda called for Blu and Jewel.

"I got a job for both of you…" Linda said

Blu looked at Jewel and Jewel did the same thing then they both looked back at Linda

(9:32 Am) (Day 7) (Polinter De Queimados Jail) (11 Miles from the Sanctuary)

Tulio was hiding in a nearby bush while Blu and Jewel were instructed to impress the guards that were guarding the entrance by dancing Samba in a duet. Meanwhile, underground, Fernando and Linda were heading towards the ladder that would lead them inside the facility.

"How do they do that?" One guard asked the other

"What sorcery is this?" The other said

The two macaws ultimately caught some of the other guard's attention; it was almost empty inside the jail except for several important key officials. But sadly, the guard with the keys was not distracted at all. He was well build and could withstand anything that could get in his way. Plus, all the surveillance cameras were everywhere and moving freely, Fernando and Linda would have to wait for Tulio to cut the power. One false move and one surveillance camera eyes would dilate with anger. Tulio got the all clear and quietly headed toward the main electrical system which was in a separate building that had no surveillance cameras, which was ironic and no Guards. He had to cut the entire Electrical surge to disable the surveillance Cameras. There were all kinds of switches but luckily, he spoke Portuguese and understood where the main switch was. Power ceased in the entire facility and the officials were put on high alert, some were being sent to the main electrical system. The good news was, Fernando and Linda could get into the facility via Manhole.

Fernando remembered where Tipa's cell was and led Linda all the way

Meanwhile, the other guards noticed the absence of power in the facility and they too went to the main electrical supply. Luckily this gave Blu and Jewel the opportunity to enter the facility themselves. But Tulio was in a lot of trouble now, without a way out but the only door inside the building and no windows, Tulio had to come up with a smart plan to divert disaster.

(Song: **Heavy rain – The chase (Madison soundtrack**)

"Who's in there?

Tulio had locked the door to buy him some time. But there was no solution to his problem but to turn himself in or burst out the front door and try to outrun the guards which was stupid.

"I said who's in there? Answer or we will come in by force" The officers were ready to shoot to kill the intruder.

Tulio was sweating; his heart felt as though it could skip a beat, he was out of options. He went out the door peacefully and the guards forced him down on the floor, handcuffing him.

Meanwhile, Blu and Jewel found Fernando and Linda, who in turn found Tipa's cell.

"Hey! You guys are back? Why?" Tipa asked.

Marcel and Armando were sleeping soundly until Marcel was awakened by Tipa's sudden movements.

"We came to bail you out! Your father sent us" Fernando said

"My father? My father wants me out of Jail? Wow! He must really miss me huh? Tipa said joyfully.

"Yea whatever, so do you know who has the keys?" Fernando asked

"Yea, he's at room 34, down the hallway, turn left, then left again then right." Tipa said

"Thank you Tipa," Linda said

"Good luck, it isn't as easy as it seems" Tipa finished.

"Come on Blu" Linda said running down the hallway with Blu following her.

"What about us?" Fernando asked but it was too late, Linda couldn't hear him and Fernando was sitting idle with Jewel.

The guard's couldn't see inside the main electrical room, and Tulio had cleverly taken off all the sticky notes that told the guards which switch was which.

"What have you done? You son of a bitch!" one guard said kicking Tulio in the stomach.

"There are others with you as well? Tell us!" another said

Linda was running, literally sprinting, Blu was right behind her; they both followed Tipa's routes to the room and found the door which read 34. But as she opened the door, she was pushed down on the ground by the Jail keeper.

"Linda!" Blu yelled trying to keep the guard off Linda but to no use.

(Song: **Heavy rain: The bulldozer (Jayden's soundtrack)**

Blu tried everything to keep the guard off but the guard just flicked him off like a fly. Blu was sent flying towards a wall and he hit the ground. Jewel had heard the noise and she immediately knew they both were in trouble. Fernando followed suit, but then Fernando noticed one of the guards were knocked out by either Blu or Jewel. He searched through the guard's pockets and found pepper spray and a taser.

The guard looked as though he wanted to Murder Linda; he grabbed her scalp and started to take her inside the room, Jewel arrived and landed next to Blu.

"Blu! My God are you okay?" she noticed he was bleeding a little but he was going to be alright.

"Help!" Linda shouted as she was being carried into the room, Jewel charged toward the Guard and he temporarily dropped Linda; Linda ran towards Blu and grabbed him. Fernando was rushing to help them; the guard took out his Baton and headed towards Linda. Jewel tried all she could to distract the guard but to no avail. As the guard lifted his Baton to strike Linda, Fernando jumped on the guards back and had electrocuted him with the taser. The guard yelled in pain and threw Fernando off him. His Baton fell to the ground next to Linda and she watched in horror as the guard went for Fernando now. Fernando was in a corner, helpless; the guard was about to beat the living shit out of Fernando for doing that but as he went to do so, Linda had hit his skull with his own Baton and he fell to the ground, twitching. The Baton was covered in blood.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" Linda dropped the Baton and was shocked

Fernando went to check his pulse, and confirmed he was not dead. But it will indeed leave a huge mark on his head. Fernando grabbed the keys and sprinted towards Tipa's cell.

A minuted passed and Fernando arrived at Tipa's cell, Linda and the others arrived soon after that

"You got it?" Tipa asked

"Hold on! Let me just" just as Fernando said that, the lights came back on again, the guards had found the main switch. But Fernando had successfully opened the Jail cell and Tipa was free. Linda, carrying Blu, had signaled the others it was time to leave and to go find Tulio.

But…they left the jail cell open for Marcel and Armando to follow….

"Armando! Look! The cell is open for us" Marcel said happily.

But Armando was still sleeping

"Wake up you idiot!" Marcel said slapping Armando in the head

"What...Oh!" Armando now understood

"We have been given a second chance can you believe it? All we gotta do now is find Nigel" Marcel said mischievously

(10:21 Am) (Day 7) (Outside the jail)

Linda was the first to get out of the manhole, she had saw Tulio on the floor, handcuffed and with 6 other guards, kicking him over and over again.

"Tu!" Linda almost finished before Fernando covered her mouth

One guard came out of the jail and had said

"Guys! Adam is bleeding out of his head! We need to call the medical services now! I think he went into shock!" The main guard said, signaling 4 guards to come with him, leaving two guards with Tulio.

"Follow me guys" Fernando said

They were just a few feet from Tulio, in the same bush Tulio was in ealier.

"Stay here and wait for my signal" Fernando told them

While he was going behind the guards, Blu had woken up

"Ugh, where am I?" Blu said, but his bird language was making too much noise.

The guards immediately looked behind them and saw Fernando

"Um…hi" Fernando

"What do you want kid?" one guard said

"Free stuff please?" Fernando said back

The guards looked at each other then back to Fernando who took out the pepper spray and used it at them, the guards were immediately blinded giving Linda time to get Tulio up and head towards the car.

"What the hell is this shit?"

"Pepper spray! That little bitch!"

But it was too late and everyone had gotten inside the car, with Linda pushing on the accelerator and they drove off into the horizon.

(Rio De Janeiro District 3) (10:42 AM) ( Day 7)

(Song**: Parasite Eve: Urban Noise**)

"Ugh…Linda?" Tulio said

"No one will get hurt?" Linda just said coldly to Fernando

"Look! At least no one got killed right? And we got Tipa with us" Fernando responded.

"You almost got us all into jail Fernando!" Linda said

"Look! It all worked out right?" Fernando retorted

"We might have to take Tulio to the hospital now! Cause of you! Why did I even listen to you? What made me think this was such a good idea?" Linda said

"Im...Alright Linda, really, don't blame him" Tulio said

"I have a reason to blame him, now cops from all over Brazil will be looking for us!" Linda shouted while driving

"Can we all calm down?" Tipa said

"I agree, all this fighting won't get us anywhere" Tulio said

"I hope you guys know how much shit we are in for, after that stunt we pulled back there" Linda concluded

"Jewel…did we do it?" Blu asked Jewel

"Yea… we did it, we are going to be okay, Blu" Jewe; answered

The car was speeding ever so quickly to the location they were heading towards.

Meanwhile, two familiar poachers had escaped from the Jail and were now running rampant in Rio, in search of a familiar White feathered cockatoo.


	8. Aftermath, Blu's Discovery

(11:20 AM) (Day 7) (R Osorio de Almeida Street)

The gang arrived at Diego's place once again, Tipa was the first to get out and he knocked on his front door and was greeted by his Father who had been waiting for him to return home for so long.

"Dad! I miss you so much" Tipa said to his father

"I am glad you're safe Tipa, welcome back home." Diego saw the others, especially Tulio and Linda, who were waiting for their reward.

"Very well, wait inside in the meantime while I go get her" Diego said

"And what about your wife?" Tulio asked Diego.

"She's never home at this time" Diego finished

Linda was too afraid to go back inside the house, after what had happened last time, she was sure it was going to happen again, so Tulio hugged her and said.

"Whatever happens…" Tulio made Linda feel a little better and she gained enough strength to enter the dimly lit house that was full of lifeless, animated corpses. Fernando, Blu and Jewel followed them in.

This was the last place a bird wanted to be at; Blu automatically knew that this was a place for taxidermy.

"There…there stuffed…" Blu said while walking on the ground with Jewel.

"What do you mean?" she said, she too was scared of the scenery; all kinds of reanimated birds were hanging from the ceiling, many big game animals as well. The very place made her want to leave right away.

"This guy…is a taxidermist…" Blu said nervously

"And what's a taxidermist" Jewel responded

"Somebody you don't want to meet, ever" Blu said softly.

Meanwhile, Fernando was offered a seat by Tipa at the table in the kitchen; once again the dim light had created such a eerie setting.

"So Fernando, how's life been ever since we have been locked away?" Tipa asked Fernando

"Well, I stayed with Tulio and Linda, and they both are practically my foster parents now" Fernando said

"Where do you guys reside now?" Tipa asked

"A place called Blue Bird sanctuary, or at least in the area and our house is in the vicinity, basically this place is for birds that are either endangered or threatened and the area is protected by the government so if anybody enters without our permission, they will be prosecuted right away." Fernando said

"Wait, so you live in a place where you could actually touch the birds and everything?" Tipa asked amazed.

"Not really touch them but they could get close once they get to know you" Fernando answered

"You know, I never really was the poacher type….right?" Tipa asked Fernando

Fernando just stood there.

"You helped Marcel take Blu and Jewel away from Linda and Tulio" Fernando argued

"Ohh…but you were the one who brought them to us" Tipa retorted

Tipa was right, he was very right, but not before Fernando said something else about the topic.

"But I learned about what I was doing, I knew it was wrong to do what I did, but you didn't seem to feel the same for the birds."

"I had no money, same as you didn't have a home or family….okay? We both share the same sentiments." Tipa concluded.

Then Linda and Tulio came inside the kitchen and sat down themselves, Linda was very close to Tulio, she had just hoped that nothing would happen to them, after what happened back at the jail, Tulio had a few bruises, cuts and a few injuries while Linda was worried that the cops would find out about what happened and everything would be much worse than it already was but Tulio wanted to ease the tension.

"Well, you have to admit what Blu and Jewel did was pretty funny…right?" Tulio said

Fernando just did a face palm in front of the adult as Diego came in with Eva, who was still in the cage.

"Well, they understood and they decided to cancel their payment in favor of both of you." Diego said

"Thank you so much Diego, you don't know how much this means to us" Tulio said

"I see you went through a lot these past few days" Diego said while examining Tulio's injuries.

"You can't imagine what we have been through today trying to bail your son out" Linda said

"and I thank you both for doing your hardest to getting my son out, if there is anything else you need, just come back here" Diego said

Meanwhile

(Song: **Heavy rain: Ethan mars Main theme**)

Blu and Jewel had entered the living room and both saw how a little different this room was. There were no stuffed animals in here; none but one and it stood standing where the T.V. was. Blu closely examined her and concluded it was a Blue Spix macaw, just like the both of them.

"Is she really?" Jewel said nervously

"One of us, yes" Blu said slightly scared.

He flew up to where the stuffed macaw was and examined her even more, her eyes were the same as Jewels, only deeper in color. The lifeless body had stared into his very soul, Blu immediately felt some sort of nostalgia. He knew this bird...

Then, Blu began to remember something, something he had long forgotten; how his mother looked. He remembered the last time she came to feed him; he remembered the very details of the worm she last feed him before his initial capture. He remembered her saying to him. "I love you". The very detail of his mother began to form in his mind; he then compared it to the corpse in front of him. The result was instantaneous; his eyes dilated then became filled with water.

"Blu? Are you all right?" Jewel said walking next to him

He realized that his mother, was the very stuffed animal in front of him and she had became apart of this man's collection. Blu fell on the floor and began sobbing his life out, he felt like all this was his fault.

"How could I let her die? She was my mother…" Blu said with a pain stricken face and full of tears that ran down his beak.

"It's not your fault, you were captured before she came home, it was this man's fault not yours." Jewel insisted

(Song: **Heavy Rain – Scott Shelby's theme (skip to 3:45 till 6:02)**

Linda came inside the room, she immediately knew that Blu found out about his mothers demise. She walked over to her companion while saying

"I didn't know Blu, if I had known, I wouldn't have….come here myself" Linda said petting Blu

"But Linda, all these years, all these years I thought she was alive somewhere" Blu said to Linda, although Linda could not understand him, she knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"Blu, I swear we will find the person who killed your mother, and I will make sure he will suffer for it" Linda said while wiping tears off Blu's beak.

"Who…was it Linda? Who killed my mother?" Blu asked her. Once again, Linda could not understand him.

"When I first found out, I also felt…pain inside of me, I wanted to tell you, Blu, but I felt as thought it would be too much for you to grasp." Linda said hugging the companion she had known for years.

"I love you Linda, you have been a really good friend to me for so long, and you were like a second mother to me." Blu said.

Jewel was shocked to find such a moment like this happen to a bird and a human. She never thought that two separate species like this could ever engage in such an emotional conversation.

'come on Blu, we have to go back now, we left all the birds alone for too long" Linda said as tears began to fall once again on her soft, pink skin.

But before they all left, Blu stayed behind for a second and said to his late mother.

"I love you too…mom" Blu said while hugging the lifeless body and returning to the others.

(Song: end)

(12:13 Pm)

Eva was in the hands of Fernando; Tipa said one final goodbye and thanked the gang one last time before returning to his living space. Diego made one final statement.

"look, I know you don't like me or my house but I guarantee you, I am a changed man and everyday I regret doing everything I have done with Miller, please believe me Linda, I am sorry please forgive me" Diego said walking back into the house with his son. Linda just watched as Tulio began driving away, the house got smaller and smaller until they were on the main road again.

When they got home, Eva was released back into the sanctuary, Rafael was happy to see her once again as they both embraced. Rafael was feeling much better now but his thought on Clyde was very over exaggerated, he never wanted the bird near him.

Soon, it was all over the news, the main headline was the prison break incident; many investigators were all over the area, carefully searching for the ones who did such a thing. Tulio and Linda were scared but so far no investigator showed up at their doorstep.

1 week passed and Clyde's condition was getting better, Linda let the birds see him occasionally and Pedro, Nico and the others would come see him, sharing their interest with him. He had gotten used to being a bird, he had gotten used to getting into a conversation with them also. He seemed to forget he was ever a poacher or even a human in the first place. But time doesn't heal all wounds as it seems. Blu had become more serious over the past few days, he didn't want to dance or anything, the event had him wanting to kill the very human who killed his mother. He wanted revenge.

(3:24 Am) (Day 15)

It was the early morning, all the birds were sound asleep, but Clyde was not, he was tossing and turning, he had a cold sweat.

"Son, you know every baby has a mother right?" Miller asked Andrew

"Yea…what about it dad" Andrew asked

"Well... The baby blue birds mother will be returning soon and she might be worried where her baby is, maybe we should go look for her." Miller said with an evil grin.

Minutes passed and they waited

"Here son, you do the honors, take the net and get ready for her" Miller said

"But dad, what if she doesn't come back" Andrew said

"She will…just wait" Miller demanded

Then, they saw a beautiful majestic Female Blue Spix, she was stunning, and her sheer sight had amazed both humans.

"We need live bait, wait here Andrew" Miller said as he quietly went back to the truck and got the male baby Blue macaw and brought him to where he had originally fallen.

"Game…set…match" Miller said coldly

The mother heard its offspring's cries and she immediately flew to his help, he was trapped in a cage.

"Blu…how did you…" the mother asked but it was too late because Andrew threw the net and entangled her.

"You did it Andrew! I am proud of you!" Miller said walking over to the mother.

But…no mother is an easy fight; she wasn't going to make it easy for them, she tore though the net like paper and she flew towards Miller and began to attack him. Miller had no time to react; he dropped his rifle and was constantly being pecked by the mother.

"Son! Do something! Now!" Miller said to his son

"Like what?" Andrew asked

"Shoot the goddamn thing!" Miller shouted

As much as he loved his father, he couldn't do such a deed, killing an innocent animal, it was like going into someone's home and killing their young and then their parents.

"Andrew please! I am going to die!" his father lied

When his father said "die" he immediately felt no sympathy for the bird and he ran over, took the rifle and aimed it at the bird.

"Shoot it! Now!" Miller kept shouting over and over.

But Andrew suddenly felt as though he couldn't do it, it was all too much for him

"I…can't do it" Andrew said softly

"God dammit Andrew, I swear to fucking God I will kill you myself" Miller threatened to his own son

"I…just cant"

"Do it now!

"I can't!"

Then with one last shout with his lungs he shouted once more

"DO IT NOW!"

"noo!" Andrew accidently pulled the trigger; it had hit its target

Then the scene changed back to the present

"noo!" Andrew woke up in cold sweat

It was a silent night, and the cold air hit Andrews's tears as he continued to sob throughout the night.

**And so, the plot thickens :D**

**My story is getting a little dark but I hope my story has enough tension to keep you interested for the next coming chapters :D**

**To ****battle ship lid**

Simply awesome! And the music really fit what was happening! I still think that it would be a good idea to make Blu see his mum, that would be so interesting...

**Response: I had the original plot thought out and he was going to indeed go see his mom, but I love how you catched on and I can clearly see you are very interested in my story which makes me very happy. **

**I am happy to see how much people are enjoying my story, I was really inspired to make this story because I felt as though, people can change, people from being poachers, killers of animals to becoming the very thing they hated and in doing so they begin to see how it is for themselves. So, I thought about Rio and I wondered who took Blu away from his nest and what ever happened to his mother? Who sold Blu to the people who took him to Minnesota and how it all fit into the movie. So I hope all my sub plots fit into the main story that I made for all of you.**

**Expect to see more chapters soon, From Ernestgoestocamp.**


	9. No longer human inside

(4:38 Am) (Day 15)

Andrew couldn't sleep all night, he remembered how he became the ruthless, cold blooded killer he was for so many years. So the question was, did he know who he killed and did he know who was the Baby Blue Macaw? He didn't, but he thought it could have been relatives to Blu but Andrew didn't want to think about it. But the thought never went away, he kept thinking about it, he realized after all those birds he killed, was it worth it? He had changed in the past 13 days and was not the arrogant, selfish and ignorant person he was before the incident. He heard someone coming, the footsteps got louder which made his ears ring, and the moonlight invaded the window and illuminated a creature with Blue feathers. It was Blu…

"Blu? What are you doing here? You know how late it is?" Clyde told Blu

"I just wanted to know if you were alright, you were yelling for quite a while" Blu said

"Im sorry, I just have been having nightmares, that's all" Clyde said to Blu

"They must be really bad; you haven't been sleeping well lately." Blu said worried

"Im fine, Blu and besides, I might be able to walk normal again and maybe even learn to fly soon." Clyde said

"Listen Clyde, how did you get here? If you can't fly?" Blu asked Clyde.

"I…I was part of a family, they mistreated me and so I left them and I hitched a few rides from Los Angeles to Rio." Clyde lied

"Whoa, wait…tell me more, Clyde" Blu insisted

"Well…okay, I had a father and a mother, I loved them with all my life but my father did not. He killed my mother and I ran away, in search of how things got this way." Clyde said, what he just said had truth in it but he did not reveal he was Blu's kidnapper.

"So…I guess we are both the same then." Blu said

"What do you mean?" Clyde asked

"I had a mother too and I also lost her…" Blu was trying not to cry. He held back his tears for a brief moment.

"Your mom…died? How?" Clyde asked

"I wouldn't want to talk about it Clyde, at least not now" Blu said

"Its alright, you don't have to tell me, I don't want you to feel bad after what the others told me what happened at the jail" Clyde told Blu

"….Goodnight Clyde" Blu said walking away.

Blu said bye to Clyde but not before saying "if you can walk tomorrow, maybe ill teach you how to fly" Blu said to Clyde

Clyde just walked back to his "bed" were he lied down and he saw the moon as it glimmered in his eyes. He had new friends, people who actually cared about him, he finally had a home. All he ever wanted…

(Song**: ****All I ever wanted (Reprise**))

**Gleaming In the moonlight**

**Cool and clean and all I've ever known**

**All I ever wanted**

**Sweet perfumes of incense…**

**Graceful rooms of alabaster stone…**

**All…I…ever…wanted…**

**This…is….my…home…**

Clyde was singing himself to sleep, his eyes closed for the first time in hours and he went to where dreams came true.

(4:46 Am) (Day 15)

Marcel and Armando had given up at finding Nigel; he was nowhere to be found, they had been looking for the White feathered cockatoo for days now and still have not found him. So, with another day of not finding him, the two remaining smugglers returned to their original hideout.

"This sucks Marcel, we don't have anything left, the cops took all our stuff, Nigel's missing, Tipa joined the "good" guys and now our own roof is failing us." Armando said as rain began to drip inside their hideout.

"Shut up you idiot, all we gotta do is try to get those two Blue macaws back in our hands…but how" Marcel said as he heard a faint cry.

Then, a whimper was heard outside, more like a bird cry, Marcel opened the door and immediately smiled mischievously, one problem was solved.

A familiar cockatoo, who was wet from the hard rain, flew inside the hideout and dried himself. All his feathers grew back after what happened and his lust for revenge grew by each passing day.

"Nigel…nice of you to join us, I was wondering where you were all this time; are you ready for Plan B?" Marcel said laughing hysterically while Nigel smiled with evil intentions. The sound of thunder echoed throughout Rio de Janeiro.

(12:46 Am) (Day 15) (Los Angeles)

After two weeks of intense weather in Los Angeles, the storms had finally stopped, efforts were pouring in to help the people in need. The city was devastated; this was really a big loss for Los Angeles but the airports had opened once again. Miller had waited for this for 2 weeks; he went to get his ticket that would take him to Rio de Janeiro the next day. All he did was wait, and wait till he would go to Rio. He tightly packed his rifle in his luggage. He couldn't take ammunition so he would have to buy it in Rio. He was going to carry clothes, towels, passport, ID and a picture of his son with him.

"Im coming…my son"

(12:42 Pm) (Day 15) (Bird Sanctuary)

Andrews's leg had fully healed, he was able to walk normally as a bird now and he was happy to see the others again, Pedro was glad that Clyde was okay.

There was a cliff that was about 4 feet tall, it was the perfect place to start learning to fly and it posed no danger to the flightless bird.

"Clyde, ready for your first lesson?" Blu asked

"Ready" Clyde said for his very first day of flight training.

"When a bird flaps its wings, air is pushed downward. This makes an opposite force that "lifts" the bird into the air. This is basically flapping your wings over and over until they get stronger." Blu explained to Clyde

"So like this?" Clyde said while trying it, but he wasn't flapping both his wings simultaneously so he fell down on the floor.

"This might take a while" Pedro said while doing the infamous face palm

"Let's bust and go see what's going on with Jewel" Nico said

"True dat" Pedro agreed, following his friend

A few hours passed and Clyde had finally mastered the wings anatomy but he still had a lot to go before he could actually fly.

(4:34 Pm) (Day 15) (Galeao international airport) (Rio de Janeiro)

Miller had finally arrived at Rio de Janeiro.

"Thank you for flying with American Airlines, we hope to see you soon again!" the announcer said on the TV.

"Whatever bitch…" He said

Miller passed through the security checkpoints, confirmed to the staff he was a tourist and got his luggage from the department.

The moment he left the airport, he felt nostalgia; the feeling of being back home was breathtaking for him. He called a taxi and went to find where his hotel was. Copacabana Palace

"Avenida Atlantica 1702 please" Miller told the taxi man as they drove off to the location.

The hotel was actually 3 miles away from the sanctuary so it was nearby, as the taxi car stopped by a red light, a Porsche 911 passed by the taxi on the opposite side and it was heading towards the sanctuary; the doorbell screamed in a familiar tone. Linda and Tulio were alerted and went to check who was at the door.

(4:43 Pm) ( Sanctuary)

"Who is it?" Linda asked

"I am Lieutenant Jorge Castillo and I am an investigator for the Federal Police of Brazil" the man said, he had a very strong Brazilian accent.

"Show me your badge" Linda asked him while looking at him through the peephole. He searched his top pockets until he took his badge out and showed it to Linda.

"I am investigating the incident that occurred at Polinter de Quemados prison a few days ago, id like to ask you a few questions for the investigation. Jorge Castillo said

"Who sent you" Linda asked him

"Mrs., I already showed you my badge…"

"Who sent you!" Linda retorted.

"Luiz Fernando Correa, he is the Agency's Chief executive and he is in charge of the investigation, is that proof enough for you Mrs.?" The man said

"Okay…what would you, like to know" Linda said inviting him in; Tulio was getting slightly nervous but tried his best to keep his cool. Linda offered Jorge Castillo a seat where Linda and Tulio would always drink coffee at. He took off his hat and had taken out a few papers from his briefcase.

"Tulio Montero and Linda Montero, Aged 28 and aged 26, you both married just recently and show no criminal record; although, you two were in an incident involving three smugglers am I right? Jorge Castillo said while he was reading through their files.

"That's correct" Tulio said after he gulped from being too nervous.

"And these three smugglers were in Polinter a few days ago before getting bailed out by three unknown suspects, although one of these suspects was a child, dark skinned and about 4'9." He said

"Dark skinned?" Linda said, it was clear that her hands were shaking from fear of being locked up for the rest of her life in prison.

"Yea, I would like to ask you people now but your son is Dark skinned, 4'9 am I right?" Jorge asked

"Yes Lieutenant, but our son had nothing to do with this and there are many dark skinned 4'9 out there" Linda said

"Im not accusing your son of anything, anyways, where were both of you and your son at the times between 9:30 and 10:10 last Wednesday? Jorge asked

"Here, feeding the birds and cleaning my home" Linda lied

"I was here taking care of the sick and injured animals we have here" Tulio also lied

"So both of you are animal veterinarians? That got me curious, would you mind showing me your sanctuary? Jorge asked

"Sure thing" Linda said leading him outside

He too was amazed by the sheer right of the area, the platform, which was technically the tower, was the place the birds would be fed and given several necessities to living here. A Familiar Blue Macaw and Red – crested cardinal had caught Jorge's attention.

"That's Blu and Censario; you see, Censario can't fly and Blu is teaching him how too, it's kinda good to see how smart birds are huh?" Tulio explained.

"Yes…very interesting but I am more of a feline person, the jaguar has always been my favorite, and it is strong, cunning and confident." Jorge Castillo said

"Anything else you need Lieutenant?" Linda asked

"no, that is all, if any of you found something that could help us, here is my number" Jorge said handing a card with the official Federal police of Brazil insignia on it.

"Thank you, have a nice day Lieutenant" Tulio said while showing the investigator to the door. Leaving Linda alone on the platform all by herself.

"God….help us" She said

Meanwhile, Blu had been very busy with Clyde

"You have to lift and prevent drag! You got to keep flapping your wings at the same time; you have to also lift your feet to reduce weight" Blu keep explaining to Andrew.

"But when ever I flap a second time I always fall!" Clyde objected

"That's because you have to keep your wings slightly inwards during the up stroke" Blu finished

"Okay…ill try again" Clyde said while walking up to the cliff, he was tense, he was sure he was going to get it this time. He ran to the edge of the cliff and then jumped with all he could, he opened his wings and suddenly he felt his heart race and he let instinct take over. His dark brown eyes were shining as the sun's ultraviolet rays invaded and he flapped his wings perfectly over and over, he didn't seem to be falling this time. The wind hit against his wings with little drag force and he was actually flying! Blu took flight and followed Clyde in the sky.

(Song: **Phil Collins – Son of man**)

This was wonderful! The feeling of flying! No limits and the wind was hitting his majestic feathers. The loss of His human Locomotive was a major blow on his humanity but the joy of flying in the sky was something that made him seem to forget how his whole locomotive was.

**Oh, the power to be strong**

**And the wisdom to be wise**

**All these things will **

**Come to you in time**

Linda was watching by the balcony, she was smiling for the first time in a few days, she was glad everything was going well for all the birds, including Censario. But she wondered how long this happiness would last, but she soon forgot as Tulio came back outside and hugged her. All her problems seemed to be forgotten for now.

Clyde flew by Jewel, who was with Pedro and Nico, which surprised all three birds.

"Is he really" Nico said

"Yea…he's one of us now…" Pedro said

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked

"Well, he's finally got what he wanted, freedom." Pedro answered

**On this journey you're making**

**There'll be answers that you'll seek**

Clyde saw a nearby mountain where he could rest, Blu stayed on the air, proud that he taught the younger bird how to fly and he was glad the results were good.

**And its you who'll climb the mountain**

**Its you who'll reach the peak**

Clyde tucked his wings in and felt the soft breeze hit his face, it felt good on his feathers and he opened his wings once again to feel a stronger breeze hit him.

**Son of man, look to the sky**

**Lift your spirit, set it free**

**Some day you'll walk tall with pride**

**Son of man, a man in time you'll be**

**(**Day 17**)**

Fernando came home with great news; he was going to be the attacking player (No. 10) in his soccer team. Linda and Tulio hugged their son tightly while Clyde was watching from the window with a smile on his face.

**Thought there's no one there to guide you**

**No one to take your hand**

**But with faith and understanding**

**You will journey from boy to man**

(Day 19)

Clyde and Blu were about to race through the forest and get a colored twig and return it to the starting point and Nico was the referee.

"Ready...Set…go!"

**Son of man, look to the sky**

**Lift your spirit, set it free**

**Someday you'll walk tall with pride**

**Son of man, a man in time you'll be**

They had reached very high speeds and were dodging every obstacle in there way, Clyde was flying faster than Blu which surprised him.

**In learning you will teach**

**And in teaching you will learn**

**You'll find your place beside the**

**Ones you love**

**Oh, and all the things you dreamed of**

**The visions that you saw**

**Well, the time is drawing near now**

**It's yours to claim in all **

Clyde was the first to take the twig and left Blu in the dust. Blu realized that the mentor was beaten by the apprentice. Clyde had won the race and earned an earnest pat on the back by Blu.

**Son of man, look to the sky**

**Lift your spirit, set it free**

**Someday you'll walk tall with pride**

**Son of man, a man in time you'll be**

The sun began to set in Rio de janeiro while all the birds went to watch it sink beneath the ocean, Everyone was there including Rafael and Eva and there 18 children (one that hatched a week ago) Clyde was smiling softly, he was a true bird now, he wanted to forget he was ever human.

**Son of man**

**Son of mans a man for all to see…**

(Song end)


	10. Rough times, part 1

Rough times, part 1

(Day 19) (6:21 Pm) (Sanctuary)

All the birds were mesmerized by the sheer sight of the sinking sun in the horizon, the sky was a darkish mixture of blue and orange and the nightlights were already on. Clyde was watching Blu and Jewel, who were sharing a kiss. Clyde then looked over to Rafael, who was playing with Manuela, Sophia and Carlos, who were the children of Rafael; Clyde sighed at this, he wanted to forget he and Rafael ever had that argument two weeks ago, he just wished Rafael wasn't so mad at him. Pedro noticed that Clyde was feeling bad, so he walked next to him and then said.

"What's wrong homie?" Pedro asked Clyde

"well, its been so long since Rafael and I talked and still Rafael is mad about what happened, I wish he could just forget about it" Clyde said

"He's expecting you to apologize, dats why." Pedro answered

"Apologize? For what? I don't need to…" Clyde stopped midsentence

"And that's why this has been going on for two weeks; home boy, just apologize and he will forget about it, trust me." Pedro insisted

"Well…okay…I will try" Clyde said while walking to Rafael and Eva saw Clyde walking towards them

"I said no going for the eyes!" Rafael said while he let go of his three children.

"Oh Rafael, a friend of yours is coming" Eva said, Rafael's smile disappeared into a frown

"Oh great, what does this **clitface **want" Rafael said while taking the kids to Eva.

Clyde was still walking towards Rafael, he was not sure this was a good idea, Rafael might poke his eyes out if he messed up bad, but he made sure he wouldn't lose control again.

"R…Rafael?" Clyde said. This toucan was three times his size and could potentially squish his entire body with relative ease.

"What do you want, I thought you said we couldn't speak to you, since you are a human" Rafael said already angry at the cardinal.

"Rafael, what do you mean he's human?" Eva asked

"Something this cardinal said a few weeks ago" Rafael said about to tell Clyde to go away, he was walking towards the cardinal slowly, anger in his Amber eyes.

"Listen Rafael, I am sorry, okay? I know I was a total jerk but I am sorry" Clyde suddenly chocked out.

Rafael took a step back and looked at the cardinal for a second, he was apologizing? After all this time, Rafael thought.

"I…am not the bird you knew two weeks ago, I want this to stop and I am sorry for all I have done; please forgive me, I beg you" Clyde spoke out to the toucan.

Rafael was thinking for a few seconds, his angry eyes turned into a much friendlier one and went to hug the Red-crested cardinal. Pedro was watching everything and Nico had walked to Pedro. Pedro was leaning on a tree and saw the canary coming towards him.

"That's my boy…" Pedro said

"He finally did it?" Nico asked

"I guess there's nothing he hates now" Pedro told Nico

Clyde was running out of air, his head was turning purple; Rafael had not realized he was hugging Clyde a little too tight.

"R…Rafael…would you mind if you stop hugging me so I can breath? I need my lungs for breathing" Clyde said with shortness of breath

"Oh…sorry about that Chico" Rafael said while letting Clyde go

"So you're not mad? Rafael?" Clyde asked as the speed of his breath slowly returned to normal.

"Not at all, you finally had the decency to ask for forgiveness, you were so arrogant when I first met you and I can see you did indeed change a lot" Rafael answered

"I am actually glad to hear that from the king of carnival" Clyde said

"How did you know I was king of carnival" Rafael asked

"Pedro told me a while back" Clyde answered to Rafael

Clyde said goodbye to Rafael and went towards Pedro who was smiling at the similar Red – crested cardinal.

"You did it Clyde, now we gotta show you how we get **our freak on**" Pedro said to Clyde

"Freak on?" Clyde asked curiously

"Yea…you know, dance? Show the girls how you roll?" Nico said

"How I roll?" Clyde still did not get it

Pedro and Nico just stared at each other then back at Clyde, Clyde was so confused but Pedro and Nico grabbed him and Pedro then said.

"You need some lessons Clyde, lets show you how it's done around here" Pedro said

**Meanwhile (27 hours remaining) (day 19) (Rocinha, Favela) (Gun store) **

Miller had wanted to buy ammunition since he got here so he went to the only two gun shops in Rio de Janeiro. He remembered always buying rifles and ammunition here, it seemed like yesterday he did all this. He opened the door and was greeted by a dark skinned man. Miller had not recognized the man who owned the store, he went in regardless.

"Where's Julio?" Miller had said to the young man

"Who?" The young man asked

"Julio, the owner of this gun shop, are you Julio's son or something?" Miller asked him

"The previous owner died eight years ago in a horrific cardiac arrest, his son originally wanted to take the store as his own but instead gave it to me; hi I am Gustavo Rodriguez." The young man said

"Okay Rodriguez, do you sell Rimfire ammunition here?" Miller said

"What kind sir?" the young man asked

".17 HMR for the Browning T –bolt composite sporter rifle, bolt action" Miller said while showing his rifle in its case.

"Let me go look to see if we still have some, it wont take long sir" The young man walked into the storage room. Miller was checking the walls which were full of different rifles and guns alike. Then he heard a few voices down the hallway, he investigated and found two men who were discussing which weapon they should take.

"Marcel, the tranquilizer wont kill them, remember, the company does not want them dead"

"And I say we should use live ammunition, just in case something happens" the man said

"Yea…but you said it yourself, dead animals are useless to us" the other man said

"Marcel? Is that you? Is it really you?" Miller had said

"Old man, how do you know my name?" Marcel had said, quite annoyed

"Because you and I used to work for the company together, this old geese remembers more than you? I guess fifteen years is indeed a long time" Miller had retorted

"Wait a minute….mustache…buff…6 foot. Are you Mr. Miller? The Mr. Miller who caught all those birds so many years ago?" Marcel said

"So I guess you do remember your good ol friend" Miller finished, Marcel walked over and gave Miller a hug. Armando was confused and he was just standing there thinking what the heck was going on.

"How is America? Land of opportunity?" Marcel asked Miller

"Hell, rising gas prices, storms all over the place, low salary; I made a bad choice to leave Rio." Miller said while examining the 33 year old Marcel.

"You look much different than the eighteen year old I knew fifteen years back." Miller said

"And you haven't changed; you still look as though you left the day they closed down the forests." Marcel retorted, Rodriguez returned with a handful of .17s and set them on the table.

"That will be R$150" Rodriguez said as Miller took out his wallet full of Brazilian currency.

"Miller, we could use some help, there are two Blue macaws we want to capture but some stupid assholes wont let us and worse they are in a secured area of the city, if we go in ourselves well be caught easily. But they won't suspect anything from you, and you might give us easy access during the night." Marcel explained

"Blue macaws? I thought those were hunted to extinction" Miller said getting his ammunition.

"Not until this Brazilian scientist found the last two of the species, they are worth a fortune" Marcel said

"Hmmm, I did become rich easily through one Baby Blue macaw; I can imagine 2 adult ones" Miller was thinking.

"That's the spirit you old fart, so are you going to help us?" Marcel asked

"Sadly, I am here for my son, but I will see what I can do" Miller answered

"Good, if you agree, here is my number and address" Marcel said while giving him a card and then leaving with Armando

"Come on you idiot, we got work to do" Marcel said to Armando

"The last two Blue macaws….I would be very rich indeed…" Miller said to himself while leaving the shop.

(9:21 pm) (Day 19) (Avenida Atlantica 1702) (**24 hours remaining)**

It was raining outside and Miller sat silently on his hotel bed, he had his ammunition on his bed, all the bullets scattered around. He looked at the card in his hand and then at the hotel phone.

Meanwhile…

The phone rang in the shack where the smugglers were; Marcel walked to the phone and heard a familiar voice ring in his ear.

"Im in, I will be right there"

Marcel smiled at this; his new plan could indeed work out now. With Miller at their side, there was nothing they could not accomplish; Miller was one of the most skilled poachers in Rio de Janeiro, he and Marcel had once caught so many animals that Diego's garage was so full of game animals.

Miller took his rifle in his case and immediately headed for the nearest taxi to get to Rochinha. About an hour passed and it was pouring in Rio, the streets below that had no drainage were flooded, it was going to rain all night. Miller arrived at the shack and paid the taxi and knocked on the familiar door. Marcel greeted him and Miller gladly entered; he had so many memories here, He and Marcel's father used to smuggle so many birds here, the business was handed over to Marcel after his father had died of a severe case of Cholera in the early 1990s during an epidemic that had occurred in the continent.

"I am happy you are living your father's legacy, Marcel, he would be very proud of you if he saw you here today." Miller said calmly

Armando was setting up the cages for the animals in the next room, Nigel was sitting on his perch, when he noticed Miller, he flew from his perch and went towards Miller in an angry charge but Marcel got in his way and Nigel stopped midair and became confused.

"Nigel, he is a friend; he's going to help us capture the macaws and any other bird we find at the sanctuary" Marcel said, Nigel immediately returned to his perch but kept watch on miller, he never said his eyes off the human for a second.

"Sorry about that friend, he is our assistant in capturing all the birds we have been smuggling for a few years now." Marcel explained

"A bird is helping you capture other birds, Marcel?" Miller was curious yet confused

"He is not what he seems, he killed his own kind; you see, he used to be apart of a popular T.V. show, Fly hard, after they replaced him with another bird; he came to us and proved to be a great asset on our goal to become rich." Marcel explained to Miller

"I see, so anyway, do you know where my son is? He must have come here to see you" Miller asked

"Andrew? I thought your son was with you, is he in Rio?" Marcel said

"He came to Rio by himself and some people told me he broke in somewhere, I came to Rio de Janeiro to find him." Miller answered

"ahh yes, he broke into the sanctuary two weeks ago, he almost got away with one of the birds, I don't know what kind of bird though, something happened and he vanished, some people heard a gunshot." Marcel said to Miller

"yo, Marcel, where is this train going to take us?" Armando asked Marcel, Miller was curious at what he was talking about.

"The train will take us to Sao Paulo, where we will then take a boat to Miami, Florida to sell the animals to the pet trade; now get back to work you idiot." Answered

"Cut me some slack, Marcel, without Tipa, this is harder than usual. Armando said

"Wait, then what do you need me for?" Miller asked rudely

"You see, the scientists at the sanctuary only have two keys to get in, both are kept by the owners of the sanctuary; if you could get in and somehow take one of the keys for us, we will enter ourselves during the night and take all the birds. What do you say Miller, one last smuggle and we will give you half of what we gain?" Marcel asked Miller, Miller was thinking.

"But surely if my son tried this and failed, what makes you think we will succeed?" Miller asked

"Because Nigel is an expert in getting rid of security at these places, we just someone like you to let us in and help us capture all the animals, after all, you are one of the best poachers ever to live in Rio." Marcel said

"And what about Fernando, he could jeopardize our plan" Armando asked to Marcel

"Yes he could but he wont, I have a plan to get rid of his loud mouth" Marcel said mischievously

"So what exactly is your plan, Marcel?" Armando asked, Miller agreed with a nod.

"Tomorrow, Fernando is supposed to have a soccer game, I heard this from Tipa, who is going to watch him; So, Miller will visit the family before they leave for the game and take one of the keys and wait for further instruction. While we kidnap Fernando and get those people away from the sanctuary while Miller goes in and prepares the cages. We leave Fernando at our shack"

"Why our shack?" Armando asked

"Because they will know it was us and their first guess to look for him will be our shack, so with them on the other side of town, we will return to the sanctuary to steal all the birds with Miller and then head off to the train that will be waiting for us. Marcel said

"Where exactly is this Sanctuary" Miller said to Marcel

"Just 13 miles from here, Fernando's game is 3 miles from the sanctuary, here is the address" Marcel said handing Miller the map.

"Estr. Do Engenho Novo, R. Octacilio Pedro vasco" Miller read

"We will be at the soccer game tomorrow" Marcel said

"Alright, I will call you when I get the key" Miller said leaving; Marcel was walking over to Nigel.

"Game…set…match"

(10:43 pm) (Day 19) (Sanctuary) (**23 hours remaining**)

"And most important, Clyde, be yourself when you talk to girls; and don't worry, cause girls often get nervous too" Pedro said

"Alright, I think I got the hang of this now" Clyde said

"Lets review that, be yourself, impress her but not too much, be her friend and get her attention when she needs it and always listen to what she says and know what she is interested in" Nico explained to Clyde.

"and also remember, girls like smart men, not those jerks who only like them for their looks and you gotta tell her how you feel, Clyde." Pedro added.

"Ill keep these in mind, you guys are the best, thank you" Clyde said while flying to his living space. A while back, Clyde was told that tomorrow was going to be a mass gathering for all the birds to have fun all day while Tulio, Linda and Fernando were away. It was going to be the first big party since his incident involving further injury on his left leg. He fell asleep rather quickly, but he was still couldn't wait for tomorrow because it would surely mean he would be able to show his true self. When he thought about his true self, was he ever going to tell anyone about his dark past? Everyone might hate him or it would be too much that nobody would think Clyde would do such a thing.

(12:43 Am) (Day 20) (Undisclosed location) (**21 hours remaining**)

"a few weeks ago, there was an incident involving Tulio and Linda, in which two Macaws were stolen from them and were taken by the ones that were bailed out by 3 strangers. But if Tulio and Linda had their birds stolen, why would they want to bail out the three that almost got away with them. The database says these two birds were brought together for a breeding program, apparently, these two macaws were the last of their kind, so any smuggler would want their hands on them. I also noticed that the database stated the Sanctuary had twenty toucans and one of them was reported missing. So maybe these people had their toucan stolen and ransomed. I noticed the twenty toucans were present when Linda and Tulio showed me the sanctuary. And, the toucan was reported missing 1 week before the initial bail of the three smugglers. So, the toucan was recovered after the jail incident. This means that either both of them hired people to bail the smugglers out or they themselves bailed them out in exchange for the toucan. I would have to watch their actions very carefully tomorrow to confirm, if I am right, these people committed a Federal felony and are in deep shit right now." Lieutenant Jorge Castillo thought to himself in the dimly lit room.

(Minutes later) (Day 20) (Sanctuary)

Blu and Jewel were alone; adjacent to a riverbank, with no one in sight they could be with each other and therefore, no one to disturb them.

"So…Jewel, are you ready for the big party tomorrow?" Blu asked Jewel

"I sure am but listen Blu, I have wanted to tell you something for a while but I was too scared that you wouldn't like it." Jewel said

"What is it, you can tell me anything" Blu said while getting closer to Jewel

"Well…" Jewel was too nervous to say it immediately

"Yes?" Blu was waiting

"I am pregnant Blu, I am going to be a mom" Jewel suddenly said

"You mean…Im going to be a father?" Blu asked softly

"I didn't want to tell you sooner because I was afraid but I hope you understand that" Jewel was interrupted by Blu who was jumping around in joy.

"Oh this is great! I can teach my children to read all kinds of books and read them bedtime stories and…oh wait I don't have anymore books, I forgot im not in Minnesota anymore but besides that I can teach them to say **Super cali frag ili stic expia li docious**" Blu said with excitement, jewel just rolled her eyes while smiling.

"Im glad your happy about it Blu" Jewel said while sitting next to him, he looked at her rare, dark blue eyes. Her eyes had a feeling of intelligence and purpose; her graceful beauty had Blu wanting something much more. But Blu stopped a minute and said.

"Having children, it might take years and years of hard work" Blu concluded

"Don't be silly! It will be lovely; I just know it will…" Jewel said while giving Blu the biggest hug she ever gave him, he blushed a little but he returned the hug back to her. Soon, their eyes were locked on each other; both had a feeling of lust and so Blu and Jewel started to kiss and their tongues touched.

"I love you Jewel, I always have" Blu said softly

"I know" Jewel finished.

(9:28 AM) (Day 20) (Montero residence, adjacent to Sanctuary) (**12 hours remaining**)

Today was the big day; Fernando was going to play with his team at R. mq de Aguiar, R. Gda Brazuna. He was so exited, Linda and Tulio made sure the house was lock so no intruder would get in, and that is until they heard the front door bell ring. Linda went to see who it was and a six foot tall man was standing adjacent to the door.

"Who is it?" Linda asked

"I would like to speak with you for a few minutes concerning Andrew"

"Are you another investigator?" Linda said

"No, I am his father" the man said

After the man had said that, Linda was shocked, could it really be Miller? The man they had been looking for all this time at their doorstep?

"Mrs. this is very urgent, my name is miller and I am looking for my son" Miller said

"Hold on a second" Linda said while unlocking the door

"Come in"

Miller examined the house, the windows on the other side of the house were showing the sanctuary, in many rooms; many species of birds were being treated.

"Sit down please Mr. Miller, we have a lot to ask you" Linda said, Tulio was not liking how this man was inside their house; after all, he's a bird killer.

"What would you like to know?" Miller asked

"Well…why did your son try to steal my Macaw" Linda asked

"I guess it's because your Macaw is valuable to the industry, who wouldn't want to get their hands on a bird like that?"

"What happened after that night? Did he go to you after he tried stealing my friend?" Linda asked again

"No, I was in Los Angeles, he came here all by himself and he told me he wanted to know what happened to his previous life, and when I mean previous I am talking about the one with his mother." Miller explained

"What about your wife? What happened to her?" Tulio asked Miller

(Song**: Heavy rain – Painful memories**)

"well…it was before Andrew and I left brazil to live in the United States, my wife was arrogant and a bit of a loud mouth, my wife loved her son with all her heart but she despised me, she threatened me for so long until finally she snapped and she went to tell the authorities what I was doing for so many years."

"I think she did the right thing, considering you were a poacher" Linda retorted

"Nonetheless, I couldn't let her just tell them, I didn't want to spend all my life rotting in prison, after all, I was poaching endangered species."

"So then what did you do?" Tulio asked

"I…did the only think I thought was possible, I…killed her at the broad of day, Andrew watched but he was too young to understand what death meant so I told him that his mother was very sick and she was going to be away for a very long time" Miller explained

(Meanwhile)

Clyde was flying around with Pedro, Nico, Blu, and Jewel until Clyde noticed a man in the house, he was so familiar, the mustache, six foot tall and large build caught Clyde's attention. Clyde flew to the window and perched on the sill (sill jamb), the others noticed this and followed suit. The others landed next to Clyde with Blu right next to him. They listened very carefully to the conversation that was going on.

"So, Andrew lived with me and I tried to teach him how to poach and hunt but he refused, he was a typical weak bird watcher" Miller was saying before Tulio interrupted

"Weak? How dare you say that word, you are just as arrogant as your son is" Tulio said with anger

"Tulio! Please calm down" Linda told him, Tulio went to check on Fernando, Tulio just couldn't stand ignorant people who insult bird lovers.

(Meanwhile)

"Is that who I think it is?" Blu asked

"Is that Miller? The guy Linda has been talking about for days now?" Jewel said

"Yea…it is him (Andrew: **dad…why are you here**) what is he doing here?" Clyde said

Blu wanted to make sure this was the killer, he wanted to be absolutely sure, Jewel noticed how Blu was determined to hear everything the two humans were saying

"So, when Andrew was about four years old or so I took him to a nearby forest, we saw the greatest number of birds we had ever seen in a rainforest and we initially captured all of them including a very young Blue Spix Macaw." Miller said

Everything was true, what had happened a few days ago was all true, this was indeed Blu's captor and the "killer" of Blu's mother.

"I guess every story was true then" Linda said

"What do you mean?" Miller asked

"You were the one who captured my friend, my Blue macaw, sold him to Diego, and then Diego sold Blu to the company where he was then taken to Moose Lake, Minnosota. I found Blu on a cardboard box and I took care of him for fifteen years, we had been best friends ever since, and now your son tried to steal Blu away from me a few weeks ago" Linda said

"What are the odds of that baby Spix falling into your very hands?" Miller asked

"Not very high but I can assure you Mr. Miller, you caused us a great deal of pain for both my family and my Blue Macaw." Linda said while getting angry.

"Forgive me, I did not know" Miller said as Linda started to interrupt him and get closer to him in an angry fit.

"You…killed Blu's mother!" Linda objected

"Im sorry? I killed his mother?" Miller asked, he was not afraid of this woman at all, infact he did not even flinch at the woman's shouts in his face.

"After you caught Blu, you saw his mother coming and you SHOT HER! Didn't you!" Linda kept shouting in angry bursts.

(Meanwhile)

"So…he is the killer" Blu said

"Blu…calm down man, I know how you feel but" Nico was interrupted by Pedro as both of them saw Blu go into a fit of rage.

Clyde started to remember the dream he had, the moment he took that rifle, aimed it at that bird and shot it, ending its life; Clyde's breathing got intense, he was having extreme anxiety. He was the ONE; he was the one responsible for killing Blu's mother.

"I am going to kill that man!" Blu shouted while Jewel was holding him

"Pedro! Nico! Get Rafael! Fast! I can't hold onto Blu forever!" Jewel told them

"Jewel! LET GO OF ME!" Blu shouted at his mate

"Clyde! Come on man! What are you staring at?" Nico asked him, Pedro noticed that Clyde was not moving, he was still all the time, his eyes dilated, it seemed as though Clyde was in a catatonia state.

"Forget it! He's idle, let's go get Rafael and fast!" Pedro said to Nico as they went to find Rafael

"If you must know, it was my son who killed that blasted bird not me, that animal was pecking me to death and my son did the right thing by shooting it!" Miller shouted

"Andrew? Was the one who killed her?" Linda calmed down but still was shocked

"Indeed, he took my Browning T – bolt and used it to save my life!" Miller finished

(Meanwhile)

"So it was that son of a bitch who almost took me away two weeks ago!" Blu kept on shouting

Ironically, the very person who killed Blu's mother was standing right next to him and he was in another world, he could not respond to anything. Rafael came flying at top speed and saw Blu struggling against Jewel; he quickly took over Jewel's place and was holding Blu.

"Calm down Blu, he's going to leave soon, you won't see him again after that, and you have to control yourself again! Come on Blu! Don't let your actions speak for you" Rafael said

"Well, I best be off now, show me the way out please" Miller asked Linda

"With pleasure, this way Mr. Miller" Linda said

But, unbeknownst to Linda, Miller had secretly taken her keys off the counter and hid them in his pockets in a similar fashion his son did a few weeks ago. Once he was out, all he did was smile innocently and waved goodbye.

"Goodbye asshole!" Linda said while shutting the door.

(Meanwhile)

Blu had stopped struggling but he was still angry, he wanted to kill Andrew, he wanted that boy to suffer, how could such a human be alive and not in jail? Clyde had snapped out of it as Pedro slapped him hard. It was enough force to get him out of his state.

"Come on Blu, lets get you back to the nest" Jewel said

"Clyde! Why the hell didn't you help us?" Pedro asked him

Clyde did not answer; instead he just took a few steps back then flew away from everybody

"What's wrong with him" Rafael asked

All Blu did was watch the little Red-crested Cardinal fly away in dread. Blu swore that he would kill the person who murdered his mother, but he was very curious as to why Clyde flew away so he pushed Rafael away and followed Clyde.


	11. Rough times, part 2

Rough times, part 2

(Day 20) (9:42 AM) (Sanctuary) (**12 hours remaining**)

Clyde was crying, how could he live like this? He could not keep this lie inside him any longer; he knew someone was going to find out sooner or later, especially Blu and when he does, it would not be pleasant and it could leave a lasting impression to everyone for a very long time. Heck, Blu might even try to kill him; so Clyde thought about leaving all together and never return but before he went with the idea, Blu flew down and landed to where Clyde was.

"Clyde…what's wrong" Blu asked, the Blue Macaw was calm now and he was curious at the Red-crested Cardinal for leaving so suddenly. He thought it was because Clyde had never seen him so angry before. Blu was out of control back there, never had he been so aggressive, especially towards his own friends.

"I don't think you should know, Blu, you wont…" Clyde said softly.

"I won't what?" Blu asked

"You wont like it" Clyde retorted

"You can tell me anything Clyde, you are my friend and you think what you might say is far worse than what I just found out?" Blu said, he had no idea who the bird in front of him really was.

"I knew you would say that…sit down Blu, I thought I would never have to tell you about this but"

(Song: **Good Charlotte – Hold on**)

"This is the story of a boy…who loved birds…he loved them so much that he drew them whenever he had the chance. His name was Andrew"

**This world**

**This world is cold**

**But you don't**

**You don't have to go**

"But his father took everything away from him and he was forced to hunt the very thing he loved the most. His father killed the boy's mother at a very young age."

**You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care**

"Soon, both of them went to a rainforest together and caught a lot of birds, and there was one that got both of their interests. It was a rare Baby Blue Spix Macaw and the mother was no where to be found. So they both caught all the birds including the Blue Macaw and when the mother returned, Andrew was forced to shoot the mother."

**Your Mother's gone and your father hits you**

(Both Clyde and Blu's mother's) (Clyde's father beating on his son)

"Soon, they sold all the birds and Left Rio to live in Los Angeles, Andrew had changed dramatically as years went by that he to became the same way his father did."

**This pain you cannot bear**

**But we all bleed the same way as you do**

**And we all have the same things to go through**

"And Andrew forgot everything he used to like, he was taught to hate birds and mistreat them like trash"

**Hold on, if you feel like letting go**

**Hold on, it gets better than you know**

"So one day, Andrew went to school and he had a nightmare, he dreamed himself being the very thing he hated for so many years, a bird."

Blu was getting interested after Clyde talked about the dream.

**Your days**

**You say they're way too long**

**And your nights **

**You can't sleep at all**

**Hold on…**

"So Andrew began to remember how his life was before his dramatic change but his father revealed to his son that he killed his mother. Andrew ran away and wanted to find more answers, so he got a flight to Rio de Janeiro where he met a woman by the name Linda."

**And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but**

**You don't want to know more**

**And you're not sure what you're looking for, but**

**You don't want to know more **

"Linda took Andrew to the sanctuary, the sanctuary used to be where He and his father would exchange the animals to a man by the name Diego."

Blu remembered the man who was called Diego; he remembered how Diego was a taxidermist and how he stuffed some of the animals killed by most of the poachers. He also remembered his mother's corpse on top of the TV. Blu began to shed some tears but he wondered how Clyde knew about Diego, he thought Clyde knew about Andrew through Miller, who explained it a few minutes ago.

**But we all bleed the same way as you do**

**And we all have the same things to go through **

"Linda introduced Andrew to Tulio and showed him all the birds in the sanctuary, Andrew began to forget about finding answers and instead steal the Rare Blue Spix Macaw that was living there."

**Hold on if you feel like letting go**

**Hold on it gets better than you know**

**Don't stop looking, you're one step closer**

**Don't stop searching, it's not over**

**Hold on…**

"So Andrew figured out a plan to steal the Blue Macaw, he stole Tulio's house key and when it was late at night, Andrew got inside the Sanctuary with a cage and went to find something to lure the Macaw to the cage."

**What are you looking for?**

**What are you waiting for?**

**Do you know what you're doing to me?**

**Go ahead… what are you waiting for?**

"So Andrew found a recorder and played it to get the Macaw to where he was; his plan was working and he put the Macaw into a cage and locked it. One of the birds must have heard the Macaw's plea for help because a toucan was called to help."

**Hold on if you feel like letting go**

**Hold on it gets better than you know**

"Andrew alerted his presence to Linda and Tulio and he ran out the door with his prize but not before the toucan flew into his left leg, causing him to drop the cage and writhe in pain"

**Don't stop looking, you're one step closer**

**Don't stop searching, it's not over**

"And as the toucan was helping his friend, the human took out his pistol and aimed it at the toucan but the Macaw made him miss and they both got out of the weapons range in time"

**Hold on if you feel like letting go**

"But…the human was confronted by an unnatural force and was transformed into a Red-crested Cardinal"

**Hold on it gets better than you know**

"The cardinal was taken inside the house to be treated where he was confronted by the toucan and both formed a mutual hatred towards one another"

Blu's eyes suddenly shot out, was Clyde making this up? He couldn't have…every detail was so perfect! But Blu thought Clyde was accidently brought into the situation randomly. How could a human turn into an animal? It is just impossible, Clyde couldn't have been the killer, he was one of the least people expected to be

"So you see Blu, my name is not Clyde…I am Andrew"

**Hold on…**

**(Song end)**

"Andrew...?" Blu said

Clyde just turned his head slightly the other way, he knew that name made the Blue Macaw's heart hurt.

(Song: **Indigo Prophecy: Main Theme**)

"No...you can't be Andrew...you just cant be" Blu retorted

"Listen Blu, I was the one who killed your mother, I was indeed transformed into a bird and I am Andrew" Clyde tried to convince Blu but the Macaw had his doubts

"But how, there's no way" Blu was interrupted by Clyde

"You know Rafael hit Andrew's left leg right? Well, my left leg was injured in the same fashion as Andrew's was." Clyde answered

"That does not explain how you became a bird" Blu retorted

"i was transformed by Dionysus, God of nature; after i tried to shoot Rafael, he turned me into a bird, that was my punishment." Clyde explained

"That's just ridiculous; do you expect me to believe a human...can turn into a bird, it's just biologically impossible" Blu said to the Red -Crested Cardinal

Clyde then tried one final attempt to make the Blue Spix Macaw believe

"No Blu, I expect you to see, look into my eyes, what do you see?" Clyde asked Blu, the Macaw stepped closer and looked at the cardinal's eyes.

"I see the color brown?" Blu said

"Look closer, much closer Blu, do my eyes remind you of someone?" Clyde asked

Blu inspected and inspected until he realized, Clyde's eyes were exactly the same as Andrew's. He remembered how Andrew had those dark brown eyes, the eyes of a killer, the eyes of evil, and the eyes of contempt. He realized Clyde also had the same fashion this whole time. Clyde had the eyes of a killer. Blu took a step back; he became convinced that his friend was his mother's killer and his captor. His eyes widened with fear and his breathing accelerated.

"No…no…no…no…you can't be…." Blu said, taking a step back but the Cardinal also took a step towards him, Blu did not like this.

"I am Andrew, Blu, I am sorry" Clyde said softly

"But…all this time…I thought you were just…" Blu said, he kept taking steps back until his back was against a wall.

"Like everybody else?" Clyde said, cutting off Blu.

Blu just stood there motionless and he felt as though his heart had stopped for a few seconds and looking into the eyes of Clyde somehow felt worse than seeing Nigel's very own. Clyde took a few steps back to give Blu some air.

"If I could go back in time, I would have stop myself from killing your mother, Blu" Clyde said

"Were you thinking about that when I was teaching you how to fly?" Blu said, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks, He began to get dangerously close to the cardinal, he was angry now.

Nothing could stop Blu from keeping a short distance from Clyde but the Cardinal tried his best to assure Blu that he was a different person, but to no avail.

"I was thinking I deserved being what I hated most; it taught me so many things, how corrupt my mind was and how many people actually cared about me. I regret killing all those birds." Clyde said

Blu just stood there; it was quiet for a few seconds, the wind was setting up the climax of the mood.

"All…this time I thought you were one of us, why would you do such a thing, after all we have done for you!" Blu shouted

"Blu, I changed, inside and outside, you have to believe me" Clyde told Blu

"You MURDERED MY MOTHER, THEN TRIED TO KILL ME? all this time i thought you were just one of us!" Blu screamed

"No BlU! you don't understand, i wanted to sell you after i got you in the cage, but i can assure you this is" Clyde was cut off

"Your not my friend! your not welcomed here! Leave!" Blu finished

Clyde just stood there for a few seconds, Blu's anger was enough to convince him, Clyde took a few steps back and then walked to the nearby forest away from the 15 acre sanctuary . Blu made sure he kept walking, the Blue Macaw then returned to Jewel, tears swelled in his eyes.

Pedro and Nico heard everything, they themselves could not believe it but the evidence was so accurate from what had happened during the incident and what Mr. Miller had said. They followed Clyde and found that he did not hear their yells to stop.; Rafael found them and landed next to them.

"where is Clyde?" Rafael asked

"we don't know, he was here with Blu" Pedro said

"hes got to be around here" Rafael said to Pedro

"listen Rafael...I don't think your going to like this, cause we heard everything they said" Nico said to Rafael

"whats wrong?" Rafael asked

"well...Clyde is really Andrew..." Nico had said

"what, i don't understand Nico..." Rafael said

"we will explain on the way" Pedro said, trying to find Clyde.

Minutes later, Clyde found a cliff to sit on, he was crying also, he felt Blu's misery. He never thought animals had such a connection between their loved ones, he used to believe it only happened with humans. Soon, the three birds found him, Pedro did not know what to feel. He just found out, the bird he made friends with and taught how to dance was a cold blooded killer. Rafael had just found out himself, although he was not angry, he thought about the whole situation. He knew Clyde had changed so much in these past seventeen days. Clyde was Originally going to dance with Pedro and Nico at the party that was going to start very soon but he felt as thought it was time for him to leave, forever.

"Clyde!" Pedro yelled

"leave me alone guys, I'm not going to the party." Clyde said coldly.

"Clyde please...let us help you deal with this." Nico said

"I can deal with it myself" Clyde answered

"but Clyde, you need help if you are going to solve this problem of yours" Rafael said to the young Cardinal

"and how do you guys know about this?" Clyde asked

"we came looking for you and we heard you and Blu" Pedro said

A small silence followed what Pedro said, Clyde just stood there quietly; he turned around, opposite of everyone else and then said

"so you guys know i am the killer now, how can you possibly help me? I have caused enough pain as it is" Clyde said softly

"because everybody needs help sometime, you cant do this alone Clyde, you need friends to help you with this" Rafael said

"Why did you guys suddenly get involved in my problem?" Clyde retorted

"because we want to help you, we are your friends Clyde, we don't care what you used to do, the fact is, you changed; you aren't the human killer that tried to sell Blu a few weeks ago, you have learned so much these past few days, you grew a conscience." Rafael said

Clyde began walking back and forth

"But...killing all those birds, selling some to places where they would never see sunlight again, how could you all possibly still be friends with me?" Clyde said

"because we are a family, all of us; we take care of one another, we make sure everyone is happy the way they are supposed to be" Pedro answered

"I don't think i could ever be one of you...I have caused enough pain" Clyde said softly.

"oh Clyde, you still don't understand, everybody does stupid things, but that does not mean they can't start over again" Rafael said, the toucan walked over to Clyde and put a wing on the cardinal's shoulder.

"i understand enough! Surely not even Neptune's mighty oceans could clean my bloodstained hands, I have killed so many; Their is nothing you can do for me! leave me alone!" Clyde said shoving Rafael away. Rafael stood there, he was upset that Clyde became the arrogant human he was so suddenly but he knew Clyde couldn't do this alone

"come on Rafael, lets go" Nico said

"Rafael, he needs some time alone" Pedro told Rafael.

"Very well, lets go" Rafael agreed.

The three birds took flight but Pedro stayed behind for a moment and told clyde

"if there is anything you need help with, you know we are there to help..." Pedro said before returning to the others.

Clyde just sat on the cliff, he was thinking about what they had said to him, with all he had done, he had friends that still cared about him. Regardless of what he had done to all the birds in the past. It was not because they forgave him easily, it was because they loved him like a brother and no matter what he did, they would not think otherwise. They had given him a home, taught him so many things that opened his heart and mind. Even finding out he was the killer could not break their brotherly bond with him.

Clyde just sat there quietly thinking over and over what they had said

Meanwhile…

(Day 20) (10:23 AM) (The Montero Residence) (**12 hours remaining**)

"Guys! Hurry up! Im going to be late for my first game!" Fernando yelled while walking aimlessly across the front hall.

"You have everything you need?" Tulio asked

"Yup, come on, lets go" Fernando said

"I have a bad feeling about this" Linda said entering the front hall, she was suspicious about the whole conversation with Miller.

"About?" Tulio asked

"Leaving the animals alone, I am afraid something bad is going to happen again" Linda said

"Linda…not this again…Don't worry, nothing will happen to them" Tulio tried to convince her

"That was Miller, a man responsible for stealing and poaching, why woudlent he want to come here to steal all the bird's. I am sorry Tulio but I am not coming this time." Linda said

Tulio walked over to her, he wrapped his arms around her and then said

"Its okay, I understand, you can stay here with them but be careful, and I love you Linda" Tulio said before kissing her cheek, she gladly returned the kiss.

"I love you too, Tulio…" Linda said softly

"Be safe" Tulio said while following Fernando to the car

"Bye Linda" Fernando said leaving the front door.

They both left, leaving Linda alone with the birds. She went to the kitchen and got something to drink from the cabinet and sat down on the couch with a glass and drank slowly. She was relaxed; all her tense began to lift up little by little. She was already exhausted because she hardly slept these past few days. Her eyes began to close little by little until she could not have them open any longer and then, she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile…

Miller was waiting with the cages for the all clear; he was in the bushes adjacent to the house. The moment he saw Tulio and Fernando leave; he set up the cages and waited for Linda to show up but she never did and Miller found this to be a problem for the mission, so he took out his cell phone and called Marcel.

Meanwhile…

(Day 20) (11:23 Am) (Soccer field) (**11 hours remaining**)

Marcel and Fernando were hidden in the crowd in the soon to begin soccer game. Most of the players were still getting ready for the game so Fernando had time to get ready himself before the game started.

"Are they there yet? Marcel?" Miller asked through the phone.

Marcel was about to respond until he saw a familiar vehicle enter the parkway, the engine stopped and the door opened to reveal Fernando and Tulio.

"Yes…I will tell you when we have Fernando" Marcel answered, he turned off his phone to see Fernando reunite with his team, Tulio went to the bleachers where he sat down and waited for the game to begin. Fernando and his team were discussing their gameplan. Meanwhile, a familiar Porsche 911 was parked nearby, in it contained the investigator known as Jorge Castillo. Having reviewed some evidence, Jorge came to the conclusion that it was indeed Fernando; fingerprint scan showed that it was the eight year old dark skinned boy who helped the smugglers out with the aid of Tulio and Linda. Now he silently waited for the game to end so he could catch them red handed.

The game started and the opposite team took the first turn with Fernando's team right behind them, Fernando jumped towards the aggressor but failed and he fell to the floor. The opposite team was the first to score, Fernando immediately became frustrated but his father yelled at him.

"Its only one score! Don't let one score ruin your fun!" Tulio shouted

"Right…gotta concentrate!" Fernando said

The boy was speeding now, the opposite team almost made it in again only to have it taken by Fernando. With the ball now in their possession, Fernando quickly went to the opposite teams goal post and scored and Cheers roared throughout the park.

90 minutes passed and the title went to Fernando's team, thanks to 4 points scored by Fernando himself, the opposite team only had one goal and left defeated. Fernando went to the nearby restroom to wash up from all the perspiration from the game. This gave Marcel, Armando and Jorge Castillo their chance to apprehend the boy. Jorge went first to Tulio though, who was still sitting while the crowds dispersed and took their kids home.

"Your son has potential, he is a very skilled soccer player" Jorge said to Tulio

"Oh…thank you Mr." Tulio stopped mid sentence to investigate the man and his sunglasses.

"Oh…forgive me; I am Jorge Castillo, the man who is investigating the case about the Polinter De Queimados prison incident, we met a few days ago, remember?" Jorge said to the tall, thin man.

"Oh yes, the fine gentlemen who…" Tulio was quickly cut off by Castillo

"Listen Mr. Montero, why did you free those smugglers?" Castillo asked he was calm; he wanted this to be easy for Tulio.

"What are you talking about, are you accusing me of breaking into a smelly jail?" Tulio retorted.

"Take a look at this Mr. Montero" Castillo said, he gave Tulio the papers indicating the matching finger prints with the ones at the jail.

"I don't understand" Tulio said

"Mr. Montero, you committed a Federal crime, but I want to know why, I am very curious why you bailed these smugglers out of this prison" Castillo asked

"okay I confess, please don't take me to jail, I am…truly very sorry for committing such a crime, we were not thinking straight but I can assure you we will find these smugglers for you and…" Tulio was again cut off

"Why" Castillo enforced his word this time, and you could see how desperate he was to know about the case.

"It was because of a rare toucan we had to rescue, it was going to be sold out, we had to save this creature, and we had no choice!" Tulio spit out

"Explain more, why this particular bird?" Castillo asked

"This man…he made a proposition to get his son out jail in exchange for the toucan but…something went wrong and the other two must have escaped also." Tulio explained

"So you broke out three dangerous criminals for a toucan?" Castillo said

"Listen its not what you think, this creature was endangered!" Tulio said

"What kind of Toucan was it Mr. Montero?" Castillo asked.

"A…Keel-billed toucan" Tulio answered

"Do you take me for a fool? Those birds are not endangered; you are coming with me to the station." Castillo finished as he took out his handcuffs.

Meanwhile…

Marcel and Armando were quietly entering the restroom; the sound of running water gave them some cover. Fernando was washing his face at the sink, when he raised his head and noticed his towel was not where he left it, he turned around to see…

"Oh hello, Fernando…is this your towel?" Marcel asked

Fernando gasped but was grabbed and quickly restrained and taken out of the restroom

The Investigator was about to cuff Tulio until the man shouted out

"Fernando!" Tulio said

"Is that your son?" Castillo said when he noticed the boy tied up and being taken to the back of a truck.

"Let me go! Those are the smugglers! I remember their faces!" Tulio said

(Song**: Modern warfare 2 – Favela Theme**)

"You stay here Mr. Montero, I will call backup so they come take you to the station" Castillo said, the investigator ran to his Porsche but forgot to handcuff Tulio. He turned on the ignition and noticed the thin man sitting next to him.

"I am coming with you" Tulio said with anger

"How did you…never mind, hang on" Castillo said

The truck was already hitting speeds of 60 miles per hour with the Porsche right behind them.

"uhh Marcel, I think someone is following us" Armando said

"Who?" Marcel asked

"I think it's that scientist guy and some cop!" Armando said

"Be sure that boy doesn't fall off the truck" Marcel said

Marcel accelerated and eventually it became a high speed chase that quickly involved a few accidents down the road, Marcel had his eyes set on the smaller roads, the smaller the road the harder it is to find them. Favelas usually were crowded in the smaller streets.

The Porsche was literally bumper to bumper with the truck, this impact forced Marcel to hit his head on the Steering wheel with some blood coming out of his forehead, nonetheless he continued his current course. The Porsche showed sighs of damage on the front; Castillo kept his speed and watched out for any pedestrians on the sidewalks.

But unfortunately, two people were in the middle of the street, two small boys.

"Shit kids! Move!" Marcel said honking the horn

But the kids could not hear it enough; the speed of which the truck was going made it seem like a second, Marcel turned the steering wheel and made the truck tip over. The boys heard this and with enough thinking, they ran out of harms way. The extent of damage on the truck was imminent, a fire sparked and soon, the truck would be a ticking time bomb.

"Get Fernando and follow me!" Marcel yelled getting out of the opposite door.

Armando grabbed Fernando and followed.

The Porsche had to stop, they had gone in an ally way and the extent of damage on the engine had taken its toll; the Porsche would never go on the road, again. Then, the truck had exploded in numerous shards, going everywhere and almost hitting Tulio, Castillo and Tulio took cover behind the now defunct Porsche.

"dammit, now what?" Tulio said

"Plan B, follow me" Castillo said, both them evaded some of the falling debris and found the pathway the smugglers took. he took out his m9 and had it on safety but threatened to shoot if these smugglers showed any sights of threat. Tulio followed, both were running at top speeds of 14 - 16 miles per hour. The smugglers knew they were still being followed but luckily, there was a huge crowd ahead.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Marcel said bumping into people

They kept bumping into people until it soon became impossible to even move, with Castillo and Tulio right behind them, the Smugglers only had one choice left. They entered what seemed to be someone's house and used their second floor to get to the rooftop and Castillo and Tulio followed.

"Excuse me! Sorry!" Tulio said almost running into the family's mealtime.

"Over here, you idiot!" Castillo said

Both got to the rooftop like the Smugglers and the breaking sunlight almost blinded both of them, it was searing hot on these metal platforms so tripping on one of these platforms would be a big mistake. Some of these platforms connected most houses to each other so it was fairly easy to traverse across the Favela. Marcel and Armando knew they were close to their hideout, Marcel left a second vehicle by the hideout so all they needed to do was leave Fernando and head back to the sanctuary. But it was still a bit far to get too so the chase would just intensify.

"Batente! Policia!" Castillo said in Portuguese.

"Stop! I demand you to stop! Give me back my son!" Tulio shouted

"Fat chance" Armando said, Fernando was struggling through Armando's grasp

"Shut up idiot and keep running" Marcel said

Then, the pathways eventually lead to a dead end

"What do we do now?" Armando asked

"Were here! Just jump!" Marcel said

"But But!" Armando hesitated

"You idiot! Jump now!" Marcel shouted

Armando jumped with Fernando still in his grasp, but he landed hard on the ground and dropped Fernando. Castillo stopped and saw them recovering from the fall.

"Come on! We can use the stairs" Castillo said

They got inside yet another person's home, who was playing wii fit, and forcefully got their way downstairs to where the rest of this family was watching International Soccer on their T.V.

"Sorry!" Tulio said

"There just around the corner!" Castillo said

When they turned right, Marcel and Armando, including Fernando, were gone; they had disappeared but unbeknown to them, they were just down the passageway. Marcel shut the hideout's door and Nigel immediately recognized Fernando, he hissed at the young boy.

"Quickly Nigel, follow me, with them looking for Fernando, we can go to the sanctuary and get all the birds" Marcel said

Armando left Fernando in the room that used to house all the stolen birds, Castillo and Tulio were just a couple of yards away.

(Song end)

The smugglers left through the opposite door and got into a second truck where they went to see Miller at the Sanctuary. Castillo Forced his way inside the old hideout but found no one there. But Tulio heard sounds of struggle and he checked the other room to see Fernando. He went to his son to take off the tape on his mouth. Tulio must of pulled on the tape a little too hard, Fernando cursed at Tulio's carelessness.

"ow...Tulio" Fernando said

"i am sorry Fernando" Tulio said

Castillo checked everywhere for the smugglers but they were nowhere to be found

"where did the smugglers go?" Castillo asked

Fernando tried to remember what Marcel said, then his eyes widened and he shouted

"They used me! they are on there way to the sanctuary as we speak!" Fernando said

"what do you mean?" Tulio said

"I was a distraction!" Fernando concluded

"why would they want to..." Castillo did not finished because he realized the smugglers true intentions.

"Guys! Marcel is planning to steal all the birds from the sanctuary! We have to go back!" Fernando said

"We don't have much time then, we need to find another vehicle" Castillo said

"There's an old car we can hot wire, down the street!" Fernando suggested.

"and how do you know about that?" Castillo asked Fernando

"i used to...work for them" Fernando said

"i see...then lets get a move on..." Castillo finished

There was not much time left, Linda did not know about the imminent danger that was heading her way, all the birds had started dancing and Miller sat quietly in the bushes outside; showing his mischievous smile. Sitting, waiting for when the time was right to claim all the birds for himself, all those birds would soon be his.


	12. Rough times, part 3

Rough times, part 3

**Sorry for the wait, but senior grad bash and finals are making my updates once every five days or so. I am graduating and I would like to enjoy the last days I have with my peers. Finals are a pain in the ass; I am quite worried I am going to fail one of them. =|**

**Nonetheless, I will keep my promise and continue updating, although it wont be twice a day as it used to me, for now.**

**Enjoy**!

**P.s – If you are wondering why it is April 7****th**** and not may 19****th****, it is because Carnival (which the movie takes place in) Began on March 4****th**** and the movie ended on March 4****th****. So, add two weeks, it is now March 18****th**** which is the date my story begins and then add twenty days. You are now on April 7****th****, the current date of the story**.

(Day 20) (12:25 Pm) (Montero Residence) (**10 hours remaining**) (**Thursday** **April 7th**)

Linda was still sleeping soundly, completly unaware of the impending danger that was about to befall on all the creatures here. Marcel and Armando arrived with the second truck they had at the Favela, Miller came out of the bushes and he took out many cages that varied in different size. After setting all of them by the door, Miller took out the house key he had stolen from Linda earlier. Nigel could already smell the familiar two Blue Macaws that were inside the facility adjacent to the house.

"Once we get in, we need to set up these traps, but we need to be very quiet" Miller said, holding numerous nets, he handed some nets to Armando and to Marcel. Then the three quietly entered the house with some cages; Linda had closed the blinds of the windows earlier, making it very dark so when they opened the door, some of the bright sunlight had beamed on her face. Marcel and Armando set down the cages next to the door that lead to the Sanctuary; they then proceeded into the sanctuary with Nigel. Miller knew if Linda were to wake up, she would cause a commotion, so he walked over to her. Miller examined Linda; she was very peaceful when she slept, he brushed her hair slowly and this woke her up, her dark green eyes slowly opened and she saw a blurry image in front of her.

"Tulio?" Linda said

The blurry image cleared and instead of Tulio who she thought it was, it was the man who came to speak with her earlier. Her eyes widened

"Wrong…" Miller said, she immediately reacted but it was too late because Miller had grabbed her and he quickly went to restrain her. Linda was not going to let this happen.

As Miller was taking her to the restraints that were located by the front door, Linda quickly grabbed a nearby lamp while she was being carried and she swung the object at Miller; it showed no sighs of affect or damage.

"Lady, please, try all you want" Miller said to Linda

"What do you want, Miller!" Linda asked furiously

"Just the birds, but I promise we will hurt you; if you don't comply with what we want" Miller said

"Never! You leave them alone! I won't let you hurt them!" Linda shouted to Miller

"Please, I'm not going to hurt them, I am just going to find them a better place to live" Miller said

"Liar!" Linda shouted

"That word makes my heart hurt a lot, would you mind not saying it?" Miller retorted

"I wonder why! Is it because you lied to your own Wife and son?" Linda shouted

"My Wife was arrogant and my son followed my footsteps, the way a child should" Miller said

"Your son? You call yourself a father? You taught your son to kill and capture animals so they would suffer in harsh conditions and telling him it was the best thing to do is outright despicable!" Linda shouted at Miller

"Enough…you know nothing about my family's tradition, Andrew knows what's best for him if he wants to stay alive. I was here to look for him but then I remembered the amounts of Birds that were taken for care here." Miller finished

"Your corrupt morals practically damaged Andrew and now you don't even care about what happened to him?" Linda kept shouting

"Fool, Andrew can take care of himself; he is not a child anymore" Miller retorted

"You demon! You are absolutely evil!" Linda shouted again.

"Lady, you are beginning to get on my nerves, I suggest you keep your sweet mouth shut." Miller said, he was just a few feet away from the restraints.

"You're not a father! You are a sick! Sick man! How dare you come into my house and steal all of our birds!" Linda still shouted

"I said enough!" Miller finished, he slapped the young woman's face and she stayed still for the rest of the way. But then she though about all the birds that were in peril; as Miller got the ropes to restrain her, she bit Miller's hand. This bite was enough for Miller to actually flinch and let go of her. His hand showing sighs of bleeding. Linda had time to make a run for it and hide; she went looking for anything to defend herself with. Linda was inside the master bedroom and she was hiding underneath the bed. Miller entered the bedroom and trashed the entire room. Frustrated, he left the room to look for her in the other rooms. She remembered the gun that Andrew had, she could use it to threaten him and get him to comply while she would call the authorities. The gun was located in Tulio's office however. She quietly got out from underneath the bed and tip toed towards Tulio's office. She heard Miller's shouts as he was trashing the whole place. He was in a rage that would probably never stop. The sounds of glass shattering and furniture breaking gave her cover so her footsteps would not get her discovered. She entered the office and searched Tulio's desk and found the m1911, it had no bullets but she reset the weapons former position since it was uncocked. Linda went out of the office only to find Miller heading towards her; she went out and pointed the weapon towards him.

"Stop! Or I will shoot!" Linda warned, Miller immediately stopped where he was heading,

"How did you…" Miller was cut off

"Down on the ground and put your hands on your head!" Linda ordered but Miller stood still

"Now!" Linda shouted

"Okay! Okay…I never argue with a lady with a gun…" Miller said; he got down on the floor and put his hands on his head.

"Im calling the authorities about this, you are going to regret invading my house" Linda said but made one mistake; she was walking to the house phone next to miller where his hands were on his head. She got the phone and dialed the emergency number until the operator answered.

"Hello? Emergency services, what is your situation?" The operator said

"Yes…I have a man here who got inside my house and tried to…" Linda was cut off because Miller had the opportunity to grab Linda's leg and cause her to fall.

Linda began to scream as Miller dragged her to the restraints

"Now you are going to be a nice girl and corroborate with me" Miller said putting the restraints on Linda. He then got the tape and walked towards Linda.

"No! I won't let you take them…" Linda was cut off again as the tape sealed her lips shut.

"You are going to regret doing that to me…believe me darling…" Miller finished.

The phone lied idle, with the operator asking where the woman was

"Hello Mrs.? Are you there?"

Miller threw Linda in the master bedroom and blocked the door with several furniture so she could not escape. The restraints were very tight on the slim woman; she could hardly breathe with these things on her. Linda felt very guilty; she knew something bad was going to happen. This was the third time something like this happened and she felt as though she was the most careless person alive, she began to sob.

Meanwhile…

All the birds were dancing and singing, Rafael, Pedro and Nico had gone to the party to lift up their moods a little bit. Only a few did not go at all, Clyde was still at the cliff…still thinking about what the others said. He had done an awful lot of thinking this past hour; He was still in tears after what happened and the gust of wind kept brushing against his feathers. But then a different kind of wind came, it was a very familiar one; It was the same wind that had come to condemn him for his actions towards the birds when he was a human.

(Song: **Prince of Egypt – **"**the burning bush**")

It was Dionysus, the God who punished him for his irrationality and wrongdoing's.

_My child, why do you weep? _The powerful God asked him

Clyde did not know what to feel, it was Dionysus who had turned him into the creature he is now, because of him he could never walk like a human, engage in a conversation with a human, never graduate or earn his college degree. He would never have children or have a loving wife or a nice home to live in. He would probably never get to see any of his human friends ever again. He would probably never enjoy cuisine he used to love again would probably never go places he enjoyed as a human such as a movie theatre or anything he had hold dear to him for so many years ever again

_You are thinking I am the one to blame, Andrew? When you; yourself, have killed so many innocent creatures that were my children. But I have showed you how beautiful the world is to all of us, I have showed you even the most arrogant people can open up to the world. The interpretation of your punishment could be seen in many ways, you could think of this as a blessing or you could be feeling contempt towards me. Whatever it may be, I am here to help you go through this. Yes, it seems as though the Blue Macaw will never forgive you but all sins can be forgiven. He just needs time to think about this: think of Rafael, you and him used to despise each other until you went up to him and asked for forgiveness. It did not take him long to think about it because it showed how much you cared about all of those around you._

"But…what about my life? I have shown you what I am now…but why am I still being punished?" Clyde asked the God

_You have not yet shown to me how far you will go to prove yourself that you care about these animals, Clyde._

"What do you mean? Have I not changed? Clyde asked

_You have indeed changed but…has your heart changed?_

"I don't understand" Clyde asked again

_Oh my child; Descendant of Adam, you still carry the heavy Burden of your actions, but you must show me how much you love yourself and how much you are willing to sacrifice for others._

"Sacrifice…What do you mean? Dionysus?" Clyde asked

_Sacrifice has many interpretations but it only has one purpose, sacrifice shows to me that you have indeed changed. I ask only this as of now, speak to Blu…tell him how sorry you are. He will understand, my child. I will be with you all the way; I will be your guide._

Dionysus began to disappear into the wind of gust he was to begin with.

"Wait! Dionysus! But what if he…tries to kill me instead…" Clyde asked the fading wind

_Show him…how much you are sorry, if it means by dropping down to your knees, he will understand in some way, shape or form. _

The God disappeared completely, leaving Clyde once again alone at the Clift.

(Song end)

Meanwhile…

Blue and Jewel were at their nest, Jewel was quite mad at Blu because of his little "show"

Earlier that day but she completely understood why he was acting this way. All she could do was comfort him whenever he felt angry again. Blu had not yet told Jewel about Clyde, he had been meaning to tell her but he did not know how she would think of it. She would probably think he was crazy for saying Clyde was the killer. Nonetheless, after an hour of being with her, he had to tell Jewel. The Female Blue Macaw was gaining weigh; mostly because of her pregnancy, she had been feeling weird lately, she had been chewing on a lot of things ever since she found out about her condition and she would go to secluded locations to "meditate" which Blu found ridiculous. She would be expecting the eggs in about a week, and soon both Blu and Jewel would be parents. Blu walked up to his mate and softly got her attention.

"What is it Blu? Is there something wrong?" Jewel asked

"Well…" Blu said, he was getting nervous again, he was afraid she would get so mad at him for thinking it was the Red-crested Cardinal.

Blu took a few steps away from the female and turned his back on Jewel for a second, he took a deep breath; and then, the Blue Macaw walked towards his mate.

"Clyde is the killer, he killed my mother" Blu spoke out, his feathers were out of place, and he was so anxious.

"What…Blu, how could you ever think it was him, what made you think he was the killer" Jewel retorted, this made Blu flinch a little big but he nonetheless continued.

"Listen, he used to be human, his leg was hurt in the same exact fashion as Andrew's was." Blu said with a little bit of temper in his voice.

Blu let out a sigh; he went closer to Jewel and attempted to hug her but she was angry at his comment about Clyde and she turned away from the Male Blue Macaw.

"Listen Jewel…I saw his eyes and it was nothing like I have ever seen before, his eyes were very human…they were the same like Andrew's." Blu reassured.

"Just because he has similar eyes to a human does not mean he is the killer, Blu" Jewel retorted.

"Damn it Jewel, I know he is the killer, just think about it, he was very arrogant when we met him and he even said he was human, he acted very strange the first few days and he also said he couldn't fly. That's why I taught him how to fly; he may have been plotting against us the whole time; listen, he could be in league with the smugglers and maybe even Nigel…we can't trust him!" Blu tried again to reassure but Jewel did not listen.

"Really…Plot against us…Why would he want to do that…?" Jewel retorted

"Not all birds are sweet; look at Nigel, he practically tried to kill us; All I am saying is that…" Blu was still talking but Jewel heard something familiar to her ears. She walked to the entrance of their nest and saw two shadows.

"Jewel…are you even listening to me?" Blu asked

She heard voices that belonged to the people who put their lives in jeopardy a few weeks ago, her eyes widened and she immediately covered Blu's mouth with her wing. His voice was muffled until he moved Jewel's wing and said.

"What are you doing jewel?" Blu said but Jewel retorted

"Be quiet…something is wrong…everybody suddenly stopped singing…" Jewel said softly

Blu also noticed the absence of the birds who were singing, it was just a quiet jungle. No bird was in sight. Then a shadow in the sky resembled a very similar bird. It got closer until the feathers on the creature became white. The Shadow disappeared and Nigel took its place, the cockatoo landed on Jewel and had grabbed her neck with his powerful talons. Blu tried to intervene but was put in a cage by Marcel. Both the Human and the Cockatoo grinned.

"Miss me, pretty bird?" Nigel reintroduced himself; he gave off his maniacal laughter.

"Oh…this is too easy, Nigel…put the female in a separate cage like last time." Marcel commanded

"Oh with pleasure…" Nigel grinned again.

"After our feathers again…You still have not learned what we did to you last time?" Blu shouted

"Learned? This is so much easier than last time; I can already imagine how rich we will be after we sell you." Nigel retorted

"It's always about money isn't it? I can tell you're still a greedy insignificant piece of…" Blu was cut off

"Oh my…such sophisticated words we are using today, mind your tongue, you could hurt someone's ears with that language." Nigel retorted once again.

Nigel threw Jewel in her own separate cage.

"Why Nigel…why…why are you still after fortune?" Jewel asked while rubbing her throat with her wing.

"Oh…this time, I am not after fortune; this is personal, revenge if I may say correctly." Nigel said, Nigel got dangerously close to Blu

"I will be sure to make your life…a living hell" Nigel finished.

Meanwhile…

Clyde had heard all the commotion nearby; he flew away from the cliff and found himself within the confines of the rainforest once again. He noticed that there were no birds at all; they were all gone, vanished. He kept going the path back to the main sanctuary and eventually he found himself near the others. His eyes widened as he saw two very similar smugglers he could have swore he had seen before. If he remembered correctly, the tall thin one with glasses was Marcel and another tall person with an afro was Armando. His father used to work with these smugglers and they were very close friends of his. They were the only people that listened to Miller, the only people who shared the same sentiments. Clyde took cover by a tree when he noticed a very large white feathered cockatoo; all the birds were in cages or nets. Blu and Jewel were no exception; Pedro, Nico and Rafael were nowhere to be found. Miller stepped out of the house and entered the sanctuary with his rifle. Clyde's eyes suddenly shot out, it all fell into place, his father and the smugglers were about to go away with the rarest of birds. Linda was nowhere to be found, no were Fernando or Tulio. No one was going to save the birds, it seemed like this was it. Clyde listened very carefully to the conversation.

"Oh please, when they finally realized we were here, we would have all of you on a train in Fifth Avenue that would take us to Sao Paulo, there is no way you are going to get out this time. All the fire extinguishers on the train were removed just so we wouldn't have that "incident" like last time." Nigel explained to Blu

"Sao Paulo?" Clyde said to himself, that was where Diego would take all the birds and send them off to the trade.

"Alright…that is all of them, lets load them in the truck, quickly" Marcel commanded

"Right…im on it" Armando said but he accidently dropped one cage on his foot

"You idiot, be more careful, they are delicate!" Marcel shouted

"Make sure to keep those cages locked, these animals are smarter than they look" Miller told Marcel.

"Don't worry, Miller, no bird is going to escape…this time" Marcel finished

Nigel flew away and landed on Marcel's shoulder. Blu had his eyes set on Miller; his eyes were filled with rage. Jewel could only sigh; tears began to fall from her majestic eyes. Clyde found this as an opportunity to get them out.

Jewel noticed Clyde in the shadows, Blu also noticed but his eyes began to dilate in furious anger.

"thank god! Clyde hasn't been caught yet, he can get us out" Jewel said almost cheerfully but Blu was not happy. Clyde flew towards Blu's cage and found the lock that had Blu inside the prison.

"Don't worry Blu, I will get you out." Clyde said while attempting to pick the lock.

"What are you doing here? I told you to leave didn't I?" Blu retorted.

"Listen, Blu…you have to trust me on this, I am no longer Andrew, and I am a totally different person. I know what I did wrong and I am sorry, I was a jerk for not telling you earlier but I was afraid." Clyde continued.

"Just get us out, hurry" Blu said

Armando entered the room again and went towards Blu's cage.

"Damn it! Hurry up Clyde! He's coming this way!" Blu shouted

"I am trying Blu, hang on!" Clyde said

"Come On!" Blu retorted

"Blu…please!" Clyde also retorted.

"Do it now!" Blu shouted

Those three words haunted Clyde, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Blu, and his dark brown eyes stared deeply into Blu's amber eyes. He was again in his catatonia state, he remained idle. He saw the scene again with him as a child and shooting Blu's mother, but something was different. He was not himself; he was in his Red-crested Cardinal form but his human self was holding the rifle towards the Mother. Clyde rushed to her aid and potentially slammed into the rifle, causing human Andrew to misfire and drop the weapon. The mother stopped pecking Miller and she went to rescue her son, Miller passed out from all the pain. Human Andrew saw Clyde and he went towards the bird, Clyde tried to fly away but he did not react fast enough and he was grabbed by his human counterpart.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Andrew asked

"I am you, who else?" Clyde answered

"How could you possibly be me? If you had not noticed…we are different" Andrew retorted

Clyde took a deep breath, the cold air entering his lungs

"You are right, we are different and I am nothing like you." Clyde said to his human self

This made Andrew turn his rage over to Clyde, The Mother Macaw and Baby Blu could only watch in horror.

Andrew began to strangle Clyde; the Red-crested Cardinal began to suffocate until his expression turned into a purple color and then red, his vision began to blacken.

"Clyde…" Baby Blu began to shout

"Clyde!"

The scene got darker and darker until

"Clyde! Help!" Blu shouted as his cage was being carried away.

Clyde returned to reality to find he was too late to rescue Blu, The Blue Macaw was already taken outside the Sanctuary and was thrown into the truck where he landed next to Jewel's cage. Clyde's breathing had accelerated, how could he let this happen? He was right next to Blu, ready to save him and he picked now to have a flashback or whatever it was he saw. But he knew he could not do anything, he couldn't not take on three men; and a rather powerful Cockatoo all by himself. He was the only bird in the sanctuary now; all the others had been caught by the smugglers and Miller himself. It was quite, and the only sound was the wind hitting against the lush trees. Clyde tried finding some help from anywhere he could find it but to no avail. Clyde just stopped at a tree stump and sat down and lowered his head in defeat.

Meanwhile…

(Day 20) (12:56 Pm) (Montero Residence) (**10 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

The trio finally arrived at the residence and just in time to see a similar truck pass by them. Tulio went out of the car first, he had hoped to God everything was alright and Linda and the birds were safe from harm but his hope had faded away when he entered the front door. Everything was trashed and there were no trace of any birds within the labs or the sanctuary. He searched for Linda, Tulio prayed she was alright. He heard noise coming from the master bedroom but he saw that it was barricaded by furniture so he pushed all of them away and opened the door to find Linda in restraints. She was on the floor and it seemed like she was crying her eyes out. Tulio went to take the tape off her mouth and then cut the ropes with a Swiss army knife. When she was free, Linda hugged Tulio very tightly; her tears were soaking his shirt.

"Tulio I am sorry I tried to stop them"

"They took everyone and destroyed the place"

"Miller was here with them, they had ropes, nets and cages for all the birds"

"I feel so useless, I am such an idiot!"

"Linda, calm down please" Tulio tried to say

"How can I calm down when my best friend and all the other birds are once again in the hands of ruthless smugglers, Tulio? Why the hell should I be calm?" Linda Shouted

Linda did not stop, Tulio tried to say something but Linda kept interrupting, she was having extreme anxiety.

"Linda! Listen to me! We are going to find them and we are going to save them do you understand?" Tulio shouted, it got quite in the room, Linda stopped talking

"Its okay…we will get through this, we always have" Tulio reassured.

"Optimist as usual, aren't you Tulio?" Linda retorted.

"Listen Linda, did they say anything about where they were taking them?" Tulio asked

"No…they didn't say anything, I tried to force them out with Andrew's gun but Miller got the upper hand and he locked me in here." Linda said

"Alright, Jorge Castillo is here with us, he is going to help us find these thieves and apprehend them, but he knows all about us" Tulio explained

"You mean…about the prison?" Linda asked

"He knows everything…and I am not sure what he is going to do to us when this is all over" Tulio finished

"Great…just great…we are in such a lot of crap now; Listen Tulio, is Fernando alright?" Linda asked

"He's here with us, let's go to the kitchen and discuss what we are going to do next" Tulio concluded.

They walked out of the master bedroom and traversed the rubble that was their former house, Castillo was leaning against the front door, sunlight hitting his back and his glasses were giving off a dead glare at the two adults.

"Look…I am sorry for what has happened to all of your birds, but I can assure you, I will find these bird nappers and bring them into justice." Castillo explained

"Aren't you mad at us…for…breaking them free in the first place" Linda asked

"Of course I am…but the law of Brazil police enforcement clearly states that I am to help anybody in need, even if that person was a prime suspect." Castillo said

"Anybody?" Tulio asked

"Just about anybody; but smugglers and murderers." Castillo concluded

Fernando was sitting on an undamaged chair, thinking about what the smugglers said

"The Smugglers said something about taking these birds to a train yard or something" Fernando said

"Train yard? But to get them where? Only two train systems exist in Rio and none of them work on a train yard system." Castillo said

"Maybe it's not a train yard, but I don't know which city the smugglers said they were taking the birds too" Fernando said

Then Linda heard flapping of wings, she saw on a broken window a familiar Red-crested Cardinal. He was followed by a Canary, another Red-crested Cardinal and a toucan. Linda's eyes widened.

(**10 minutes earlier**)

Clyde was sitting on the tree stump and had lost all hope of ever helping the birds that so generously offered him a home to live. Then, a familiar toucan was hiding in an adjacent tree in a hole; his eighteen young were sitting all the way back and had fear that were expressed in their faces. Eva kept them very close to her; Rafael saw Clyde sitting on the stump and immediately called for him.

"Clyde! You're okay! Is everyone else okay too?" Rafael asked, Clyde did not answer and Rafael concluded it was safe to go out now but he told his family to stay in the nest. He flew down and landed next to Clyde.

"You're the only one?" Rafael asked

"I guess so…" Clyde finished

"Where are Blu and the others?" Rafael asked

A little bit of silence followed after Rafael's question, Clyde just simply lowered his head.

"I…tried" Clyde said softly

"Tried?" Rafael asked again

"I tried to help them…but I couldn't, I saw this White cockatoo and he…" Clyde could not finished

"Wait wait…are you talking about Nigel? He was here!" Rafael asked

"N…Nigel…and my father…Including the smugglers…took all the birds…including Blu." Clyde concluded.

"This is terrible…we have to do something!" Rafael said

Then, Pedro and Nico flew in the scene and landed where Rafael was

"Yo, Rafie, your okay!" Pedro said with joy

"We heard all the commotion and everyone suddenly got put in cages and everythang." Nico said

"Wait…I thought you guys got caught…by them" Clyde asked

"We tried to save some birds but those damn cages are robust!" Pedro said

"Pedro…don't you mean…you tried?" Nico asked the Cardinal

"Give me a break Nico!" Pedro finished.

"Look guys! Who is Nigel? What does he have to do with all of this?" Clyde asked

"Well…he works with the smugglers and he is definitely not a pretty bird, a few weeks ago, he tried to steal Blu and Jewel…the smugglers had a plan to smuggle them out through Carnival and they ended up at an airport where Nigel almost killed both of them after we all escaped from the plane. Blu told me he grabbed a fire extinguisher which he used to set himself free and put the cable on Nigel's foot. This caused Nigel to be blown out of the plane towards one of the planes engines. I don't know how he survived that ordeal." Rafael explained

"Yea…and he has huge talons which he could use to rip you to shreds!" Nico said

"and he has a nasty habit laughing manically too" Pedro finished

"Gosh…he's like me…before I…" Clyde did not finished

"You are nothing like him, Clyde, no matter what you did. He is pure evil, but you are not." Rafael explained.

"I…guess your right…but how are we going to stop them?" Clyde asked Rafael

"The airport was sealed off so they couldn't have gone there, so where the heck would they…" Rafael said

Clyde desperately tried to remember what Nigel said to Blu about where the train was and which city it was going to. Then, he remembered and his eyes widened.

"Fifth Avenue! Theirs a train station there or something! Nigel said the smugglers were taking all of them there so they could get to Sao Paulo to sell all the birds!" Clyde said

"Great! But there's no way we will get there on time by ourselves." Rafael said

"Damn it" Clyde cursed

Clyde kept thinking of a way…then he remembered the puzzles! If he could communicate to Linda and tell her where the birds were, they could still stop the smugglers in time! If he could somehow get the word puzzles from Tulio's office then he would be able to tell Linda!

"I got an idea…follow me" Clyde finished as he took flight and headed towards the house with the others following him.

(Back at the Montero residence)

"Maybe it's not a train yard, but I don't know which city the smugglers said they were taking the birds too" Fernando said

Then Linda heard flapping of wings, she saw on a broken window a familiar Red-crested Cardinal. He was followed by a Canary, another Red-crested Cardinal and a toucan. Linda's eyes widened.

Censario…Pedro…Nico…and Rafael, you're all okay but…where's Blu? Linda asked

The four birds just lowered their heads, Linda understood their expressions, Linda broke into tears again and Tulio went to comfort her yet again. Clyde went into Tulio's office and when Linda noticed this, she followed the cardinal. Linda was puzzled, Clyde was looking for something in particular but then she noticed he went for the word puzzle.

"Oh…Censario…I don't think this is the best time to be playing with toys" Linda told the Cardinal. Yet Clyde insisted with a squawk, so Linda decided to get the word puzzles off Tulio's Bookcase and she took them to the table in the living room. The other birds just sat by the table and wondered what Clyde was going to do.

"Okay Clyde…what do you want with the word puzzle? Something came up? You know where Blu is?" Linda asked the bird

Linda set down the puzzle on the table and Clyde carefully chose **sye **and he arranged them so they could make up the word, yes. Tulio's eyes widened.

"He can spell? I didn't know Censario could spell, very…interesting, he responded right away..." Tulio said

"You didn't know, a few weeks ago, I found out he could spell some things other birds couldn't." Linda said

"Well…to be honest, any bird can spell but he responded directly to your question." Tulio explained.

"I guess your right…I thought only Blu could only do that" Linda thought

"Yo Clyde, since when could you spell out stuff?" Pedro asked

"He was a human remember?" Nico said

"Oh…that's right" Pedro said, feeling bad after he asked the question.

"Okay Censario; where did they take Blu and the others to?" Linda asked the Cardinal.

The Red-crested Cardinal was given a wide variety of letters to choose from, it took him a while, considering he did not have thumbs anymore. He had In front of him **FA UN EE VI FHT** and he set the letters together to form **Fifth Avenue**.

Tulio was amazed by the intelligence of this bird, he was in shock, Censario was responding very accurately at Linda's questions.

"Fifth…Avenue…Isn't that a train station?" Castillo asked, the investigator was also amazed by the bird.

"Yes and its one of the only two train stations operating in Rio!" Tulio answered

The humans decided it was time to get ready; Fifth Avenue was approximately 9 miles from the house.

"How do you know all this, Censario?" Linda asked

The Red-crested Cardinal found more letters and arranged them until it said

**Andrew**

"You know Andrew, How?" Linda asked the bird

Clyde got frustrated so he stood adjacent to the name and pointed the letters and then back to himself. Linda was confused at first but then finally understood the message. Her eyes widened again but this time she took a little step back.

"But…you can't be Andrew" Linda said in shock

"I never heard of anybody turning into a bird, have you Fernando?" Tulio asked his son.

"Nope" Fernando said

"How about you, Castillo" Tulio asked

"You're looking at the wrong cop" Castillo finished.

"Wait…his leg…it was…hurt in the same way as Andrew's; if what he is saying is true, then somehow that incident…" Linda concluded.

"But it's biologically impossible; it's like a kid's movie, it can't happen in real life, Linda" Tulio explained

"It's the only explanation though…and he just spelled out Andrew…I mean come on, he was at the same exact place the boy was." Linda retorted

"Why can't we talk about this later? Maybe we should go to Fifth Avenue and save your birds before they are taken away?" Castillo said.

"He's right…were running out of time but it's a good thing the trains come once every half hour."

"Half…oh damn" Tulio said

"What?" Castillo asked

"It means we only have twenty minutes to find the station and look for the birds!" Tulio finished

Linda looked at Censario, she stared deeply into the birds eyes, and she somehow knew this Cardinal was Andrew. If he was indeed Andrew, how did he change so much? It seemed as though the birds did well in teaching him some manners.

"I hope your right…Andrew" Linda said 

"Come on, we don't have much time" Tulio said

"And what about these birds?" Castillo asked

"They…come I guess" Linda said to Castillo

"Everyone get in the car" Tulio said as he turned on the ignition.

The four birds entered the car and Clyde looked back at the house, this was the first time he left the province and it felt good to "explore Rio" once again.

"So…when we find the smugglers, how are we going to stop them?" Fernando asked

"Fair question kid, but leave that question to me" Castillo said.

Tulio started driving at speeds of up to seventy miles per hour, dodging most cars but also causing some accidents and some road rage to.

The smugglers arrived at the train station and just as planned, the train was waiting for them, they unloaded all the cages and it suddenly became noisy in the entire quiet station. A man in his late fifties came out of the train and greeted the smugglers. Marcel smiled mischievously while Nigel helped keep the birds quiet by harassing them like he did a few weeks ago.


	13. The finale, part 1

**If you can't find the song "the getaway by Simon Wilkinson" then this is the link to the only video on youtube with the song, but beware, the video has ambient sounds like voices and other stuff in it.**

**.com/watch?v=hkl8ornJJ3A**

=** BE WARNED! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE, YOU HAVE BEN WARNED =**

The Finale Part 1

(Day 20) (1:27 Pm) (Fifth Avenue: train station) (**9 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

A man in his late fifties came out of the train and greeted the perpetrators, Miller went to grab the cages and as he did, he asked Marcel a simple question.

"Who the hell is he?" Miller asked

"Alex Romero, he is one of the people who helped us take some animals to Sao Paulo so we could ship them off to Florida. He doesn't talk much though and when he does it is best you agree with him." Marcel explained

Romero noticed Miller and he made a fake cough to get Marcel's attention.

"And who is this?" Romero asked

"He is a friend; he helped us through a lot in the past, he's just like us." Marcel said

"Well then, tell him to get a move on and get the cages to the train quickly, we don't want to attract attention, those birds are making a racket." Romero finished.

"Right…Armando, lets get these infidels inside the train" Marcel said

"How much do you think we are ganna get paid for this?" Armando asked

"Believe me, more than you could hold in your hands" Marcel finished

Miller was loading the cages with the smugglers and when he went towards Jewel to pick her cage up, he noticed her expression. Jewel's face was pleading him to let her go. He never saw such an expression from an animal, but did he care? No, it was all about money for him. He threw her inside the train and went towards Blu's cage. Blu stared with anger at the human. His hate for the man grew with every minute, but he thought for a second…he knew what he was becoming himself. He had been so angry for the past few days that he wanted revenge for his mother's death. But feeling contempt; for both Andrew and his father, made Blu think that he was becoming like Nigel. He cringed at the thought of that, he felt guilty for banishing Clyde, he wanted to avenge his mother's death but Clyde had indeed changed and he acted so cruel towards the bird. Clyde asked for forgiveness and Blu literally shouted at his face. He felt bad now, he knew Clyde had nothing to do with this; Blu sat down on his cage and hoped for the best. Miller picked up the Blue Macaw's cage.

The train itself was a standard freight train with about eight cars in total; the train had numerous graffiti on some of the cars. This particular train had top speeds of 55 miles per hour, going faster than that would result in a catastrophic derail. With Sao Paulo being 219 miles from Rio de Janeiro, it would take at least four hours at average speed. Marcel was in the main car, he was talking to his dealer while Armando was taking the last of the birds to their designated cars. Marcel went to check up on Miller after he finished talking with his dealer; Miller was going for the last cage in the station, Blu. Marcel looked down at the Blue Spix Macaw one last time and then said to Miller.

"This one…Is a pest, be sure to keep your eyes on him at all times, Miller" Marcel said

"He won't be a problem" Miller retorted, he brandished his bolt action Browning T – bolt hunting rifle.

"We need him, alive…so if he escapes, don't go shooting him, understand, Nigel will get the Macaw for us if it escapes" Marcel told Miller.

Miller looked at Nigel, who was sitting on a perch, the white cockatoo kept staring at the 6 foot tall man, Miller returned the expression, but was interrupted by Marcel.

"I hope you two get along, the last thing we need is everyone turning on each other." Marcel finished as he walked out to the main car again.

"Im watching you…bird, you're all the same, no matter whom you belong to, I wonder if you can even understand me, I guess not, considering your all just stupid animals." Miller said to Nigel, the cockatoo understood what he said and retorted

"My…aren't we skeptical" Nigel said to the man but to the humans ears, the cockatoo's words came out as a squawk. Nigel went inside the 3rd train car, which was where Jewel and the majority of the parrots from the sanctuary were in. Miller was going to put Blu in the 4th train car to avoid any mishaps like last time. Any thing that could have been used to escape had been taken out and discarded.

Nigel's shadow was seen coming towards the defenseless birds in the 3rd car, his mischievous smile made every bird take steps back until their backs were against the cages. Nigel came dangerously close to a Sun Conure, the colorful bird had no space to go against the wall and it was in the center while the rest of the parrots in this cage were in the back.

"What's the matter? Are you frightened by my appearance? Do you find me ugly?" Nigel asked the Conure.

The Sun Conure only responded with a gasp when Nigel made a sudden move toward the cage. Nigel's piercing eyes made contact with the Conure as he grabbed the Conure through the cage with his talons.

"I won't be the only one after our little field trip is over…" Nigel coldly said.

Nigel left the Conure alone and went towards Jewel; he leaned against a cage adjacent to her own. He was holding the keys to the cages with his right talon and then spoke again.

"This looks like the end for the Blue Macaw duo, not much of a happy ending" Nigel said to Jewel.

"You just wait, Nigel, someone is going to save us and your going to regret crossing our path again." Jewel retorted

"And who might that someone be; One of those human caretakers of yours?" Nigel responded. Nigel began to walk away until Jewel shouted

"Nigel! You don't have to do this" Jewel said

Nigel stopped walking and then turned towards the Female Blue Spix Macaw; he walked closer and closer to her cage.

"But I want to do this, ever since your kind destroyed the very thing I loved the most, I was a star! An Idol! I had everything, and then some street trash that was considered perfect for my role took my place! It was all because he had more colorful feathers than me! I was considered dull and boring! Can you belie that! Boring and doll and I had been the Pinnacle of Fly Hard for seven years and what do I get? Nothing! Not even the slightest bit of appreciation for all I have done in the show!" Nigel's anger made Jewel shut her eyes; and tilt her head. Then after his whole screaming was over, Jewel retorted and said

"But just because all that happened to you does not mean you can't start over, Nigel!" Jewel said, she said this quote in honor of Pedro, who said it to Clyde during his transition into a good person. Nigel was about to shout again but then Jewel delivered the line first.

"Think about it Nigel, you don't have to be bad, you don't have to do any of these things; think about all the children, Nigel!" Jewel finished

Nigel inspected the children, they were all being held by their respected parents or for some whose parents were not with them, anyone they could find to hug for safety. He thought about it but his rising smile turned into a frown once again as he turned to Jewel again.

"They will make great pets for people willing to buy them, as for you, don't try to convince me. I know all you say is a pack of lies, just to get yourself out of here and run along home." Nigel concluded, the Cockatoo took flight and he landed on a perch situated high above all the cages. He rested the keys here and he quickly began to survey the area. Jewel sighed as she sat down in her cage, was there going to be any rescue? Or was it truly the end for them.

Meanwhile, Tulio and the gang were about a few blocks away from Fifth Avenue, the car was speeding at around forty miles per hour; the car had considerably slowed down due to Tulio looking for Fifth Avenue. This area of the city was mostly industrial, some abandoned areas littered the district, and this was the perfect place for the perfect crime. And it was the Perfect place to smuggle animals, no doubt. The car stopped at a Main gate, the gate was old and rusty but was able to be moved, sounds were coming from inside.

"This looks like it, I hope Censario was right, I just hope…" Tulio said under his breath.

"Look! I see the street sigh! Were here" Fernando shouted as he pointed towards the gate's entrance into the station.

"Blu…" Linda said softly

After about two minutes, the cages were inside and Marcel went to pay Romero for his part. Tulio was sweating and Linda was becoming impatient. Linda went out of the car in a hurry and rushed into the station, it was indeed the train station and she could see Miller in the distance. Linda's heart raced and her breathing became very rapid but in her haste she shouted out for Blu and Miller was carrying Blu and he noticed Linda, he cursed at this and he ran alongside the tracks with the cage and he set it down inside the 4th car and he went to tell the others. He ended up at the main car where the others were chatting. Romero was making sure everything was well with the fuel and the other compartments.

"The people from the sanctuary, they know where we are!" Miller shouted

"Are you sure?" Marcel asked, he took off his sunglasses and looked out the window, he cursed under his breath.

"They somehow found us, tell your friend to get us out of here now!" Miller shouted again

"Right…be sure those cages are secure." Marcel said while he went to Romero and patted him on the shoulder.

"Listen…Romero, how soon do you think we will be on our way?" Marcel asked

"Very soon" Romero retorted. He switched all the buttons and caused the train to respond violently, the train began to move slowly.

"We have trouble, just get us to top speed and we should be fine" Marcel finished, Armando walked up to Marcel and said

"What are we going to do?" Armando asked

"Idiot…what do you think we are trying to do? They have a cop with them" Marcel retorted

Linda's eyes widened at the train as it began to accelerate down the tracks, she rushed back to tell Tulio and the others, everyone had gotten out of the car while she was gone and the birds were sitting on top of the car.

"The smugglers…they are on a train…they are about to leave!" Linda said

"Come on everyone, we have to stop them!" Tulio shouted

The Train's wheels began to turn more quickly and smoke crept out of the smokestack; Castillo cursed and then said

"Is a train faster than a car?" Castillo asked

"Why?" Tulio asked

"Is a train faster than a damn car!" Castillo shouted

"I guess so, I don't know, I am not an expert in vehicles, Lieutenant Castillo." Tulio retorted

(Song: "**the getaway by Simon Wilkinson**")

"I guess we don't have a choice, let me drive this time, Tulio" Castillo ran back towards the car with Tulio and Linda. The birds pondered if they could make it to the train at its current speed but they did not have a choice so they flew off towards the train to rescue the birds. Tulio gave the investigator the keys to the car and went to sit in the front

"Wait…Censario…guys, what are you doing! It's too dangerous!" Linda attempted to stop them but it was useless.

"Come on Linda, we can follow them in the car" Tulio said while grabbing Linda.

"Get in the car, we will follow them through the tracks" Castillo said

"Are you mad? We will be killed! The tracks they are going on are still used by transportation services!" Tulio said

"Listen, just hang on tight" Castillo finished.

The car made contact with the rusty gate and essentially left it in pieces; they were now on the opposite tracks adjacent to the train. Marcel went to the third car, there he grabbed Miller by the shirt and said.

"Do we have anything to throw?" Marcel asked

"Empty boxes and some unused cages, why?"

"See for yourself…" Marcel pointed at the speeding car; the train was speeding at around twenty miles per hour at the moment which could give the others time to get inside the train.

"How the hell, are they crazy?" Miller asked

"Come with me, take some cages with you" Marcel finished.

Miller took the cages to the second car while Marcel took the boxes. The birds had landed inside the seventh car and found nothing but useless broken household appliances. The train began to get a little bumpy; it was beginning to reach fifty miles per hour, the car accelerated to meet the new speed. Castillo saw Marcel and Miller; holding a few hazardous equipment with them.

"Hang on you too" Castillo shouted

Knowing the impending danger, Castillo shifted the car right.

Marcel was the first to deliver the strike but the speed of the train made him miss terribly. The car was swaying a little bit from that abrupt action by Marcel. Nonetheless, the car was right back on track and was getting closer to the train.

Miller tried this time and with perfect timing and accuracy, he threw one cage and it hit the top of the car, denting it. The car still stayed on its present course.

"Let's do it together! On three…one…two…three!" Miller said, as both smugglers threw their load towards the car. One hit the window, making a large crack and the other went underneath the car, essentially destroyed by the car.

"We can't keep doing this; I need you two to get on the train!" Castillo commanded.

"Are you crazy? If we make one single mistake then we will become road kill" Linda retorted

"Then don't try to make a mistake and get on the damn train" Castillo shouted

"I don't think this is such a good idea" Tulio said

"Do not worry, I will get help, just be sure to keep in touch with me, do you have a phone?" Castillo asked

"Yes" Tulio answered, he showed Castillo his phone which contained chicken wallpaper.

"Alright, write my number down! 305 – 565 – 0213" Castillo said

"Done!" Tulio said

"Wait what about me?" Fernando asked

"You are staying with Castillo, I don't want you to endanger yourself Fernando" Tulio said

"But" Fernando could not finish

"No buts mister, stay here with Castillo" Linda finished

"Alright, you two get ready now" Castillo shouted

The car was literally inches away from the train's side; they were going to go on the eight car, Linda was going to jump first, much to Tulio's objection. Marcel and Miller were completely unaware of what was happening at the other end of the train.

"Ready? Now! Jump!" Castillo shouted again

Linda jumped and landed inside the eight compartment, she signaled Tulio to follow, he went to the back seat where Fernando was and he got ready to jump. But the smugglers went to the fifth car and found out what was happening.

"Give me another cage, hurry!" Miller told Marcel

With Miller's flawless accuracy, he threw the cage and it hit against the car's front, causing Tulio to jump out at the wrong time but luckily he was grabbed by Linda just in time.

"I got you Tulio! What ever happens" Linda said

Tulio smiled as he was pulled into the train's eight car.

The cage caused the car to swerve out of control and make a complete stop, as the train kept speeding into the horizon, Fernando said.

"Now what?"

Castillo took out his phone and made a quick call then he hanged up and walked over to Fernando and patted him on the shoulder and said

"Do you like helicopters, kid?" Castillo finished.

(Song end)

(Day 20) (2:23 Pm) (Seventh car compartment) (**8 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

The birds were inside the train but they could not open the door to the other car. That was the downside to being a bird, not being able to hold something like humans did. And even if they could hold the door, the whole construct required the power of two strong human beings to open the compartment.

"Damn, what now?" Clyde asked

"Find any place where we can crawl under or something!" Rafael said

The birds desperately searched for any opening to the other compartment but found nothing. That is until Nico found a couple of small news papers lying around, in his frustration he kicked them but they revealed a small gaping hole to the lower sections of the train.

"Guys! I found something" Nico told the others, Rafael landed next to him.

"I don't know, it doesn't look safe" Pedro said

"We don't have a choice; the others are counting on us" Rafael finished

"Okay, but who is going down first?" Nico asked

Everyone remained silent until they all looked at Nico.

"Not me!" Nico responded

"Guys, ill do it then" Clyde finished

"Careful, the floor looks worn out, it could break" Rafael said

Clyde carefully entered the hole and everything was bumpy inside the walls of the train but following this path would get them to certain other cars within the train complex. He signaled the others to follow him. First it was Nico, then Pedro but just as Rafael was about to enter as well, he heard a door open.

"Hurry up Rafie!" Pedro shouted

Rafael entered the hole to join the others as they traversed the "hallway" that would lead to the other cars to the birds. This "hallway" was also a ventilation system, so they could see if the birds were in a particular car or not through a series of outlet vents that ran on the floor of the train. Of course, they were underneath the train now and getting them discovered would be something they could not risk. Meanwhile, the door opened to reveal Tulio and Linda; they both were now in the seventh car compartment.

"Phew…that took a while" Tulio said

"More than a while" Linda retorted

"Alright, before we got on the train, I saw the birds in the third compartment; we just need to quietly get there without any of them noticing." Tulio explained

"And how are we going to do that, Tulio?" Linda asked

"Well…I will think of something, in the meantime lets open this door" Tulio finished.

(First compartment)

"They managed to get in, damn it; how could we be so careless" Marcel said

"I say we should lure them to the birds so when the time is right, we catch them like rats." Miller explained to Marcel

Both came to agreement and waited for the vets to fall into their trap. Miller was going to catch them with a net while Marcel got restraints for the plan.

Meanwhile…Twenty minutes passed and Tulio and Linda reached the fifth Compartment. Blu was just another room away. The room was dark and damp; water was dripping from the roof which was falling to Blu's cage.

The poor Blue Macaw was alone, afraid and now full of regret. He could not begin to think how much pain Clyde was feeling right now but nothing could justify it anyway. Even though the Red-crested Cardinal did all he could to help the Blue Macaw, he could not save Blu. But what bothered Blu was the fact Clyde stood still, motionless and his eyes dilated. Blu began to fall asleep; he was exhausted from all that had happened; The Blue Spix Macaw felt himself being pulled into another place. Then, he found himself in a very familiar place, many years ago. A young boy had a deadly weapon in his hands, he had the power to decide whether or whether not a creature can live. Blu found himself in the past, and the human nearby was none other than Andrew himself.

"God dammit Andrew, I swear to fucking God I will kill you myself" Miller threatened to his own son

Blu himself was hiding behind some bushes, trying not to be seen. He was examining a cage with a small Baby Blue Macaw in it, and a rather Beautiful Female Blue Macaw who was pecking Miller. Blu's eyes shot open and realized that was his mother. His mother looked nearly identical to Jewel except she had amber eyes like he did.

"Blu! Do not worry, this human won't hurt you I promise" His mother said to her young Macaw. The young Blue Macaw was yelling for his mother to help him. She knew the lock on the cage was not going anywhere until the keys were found. Blu's mother was searching for Miller's keys.

"Mom…is that really you?" Blu said to himself, he turned to Andrew and saw him coming a little bit closer to his father with the rifle.

As the young four year old boy was holding Miller's Rifle, its heavy weight made him constantly struggle to keep it in his hands.

"Listen Blu, I will get you out soon, just stay quiet and they won't hurt you!" His mother had a smooth voice and sounded very similar to Jewel, only a little "deeper".

"I…just cant" young Andrew said, he was about to drop the rifle until his father shouted again

"Do it now! Miller shouted, it was the same words that came out of Blu's mouth. It must have reminded Clyde of his dark past. It was the only explanation, cause he felt like he was actually in the past now and the dream felt so real to the Blue Macaw.

"I can't!" young Andrew shouted

Blu saw his mother, who kept on harassing Miller, the 6ft man said to Linda at the sanctuary earlier that Blu's mother was killing him and that Andrew saved his life. Now Blu finally understood it was all just a lie to get Andrew to become like his father.

Then with one last shout with his lungs, Miller shouted once more

"DO IT NOW!"

But before Andrew could shoot, a Red-crested Cardinal flew toward the human and especially slammed into his arm; Andrew dropped the rifle and held his arm tightly. Blu looked closely at the Cardinal, the bird looked awfully familiar. It was Clyde and he was talking to himself? He was literally talking to his human self, Blu wanted to get closer so he could listen to what they were saying. But before he did, Andrew grabbed Clyde and began to make him suffocate. Blu only watched in horror but he sprung into action, he was flying towards the human at great speeds until he hit Andrew's left leg ( like what Rafael had done at the beginning) and caused a great deal of pain for Andrew but he potentially let Clyde go. Blu's mother stopped pecking Miller to see a Blue Macaw walk toward a Red-crested Cardinal.

Clyde was confused and he examined the Blue Spix Macaw, Blu did the same and the Red-crested Cardinal spoke out

"Blu…how are you here? Is this happening for real?" Clyde asked

"I don't know, but now I understand, you didn't do it on purpose after all, you were forced by your father." Blu explained.

Clyde just looked at the Macaw in a confused expression

"But…I murdered your mother, Blu, I did not think that…." Clyde was cut off

"What's done was done, you are a good friend Clyde, you told the truth and that's all I need to know, you're not like Nigel" Blu explained again

The Red-crested Cardinal was offered a wing by Blu, he smiled at Blu's acceptance, this told him that Blu had forgiven him.

"Need a wing getting up?" Blu asked

Blu lifted the Cardinal to his feet and both of them examined the area, the entire scenery changed to darkness. Miller, Andrew and the other birds were gone.

(Song: **Prince of Egypt – the burning bush**) (**Start from 0:00 till 2:28**)

"Wait…I think I know how you got in my dream, I must be dreaming myself…I mean…I have full control of my dream…or do I?"

"I don't think this is a dream…its more of a vision of some sort" Blu retorted

A familiar God suddenly lit up the area, revealing another environment; it was Clyde's childhood bedroom. All the drawing's of what he once painted was hanging on the walls and on his favorite desk.

"My…room, I haven't seen it in years, ever since I moved to Los Angeles" Clyde said softly

"How is all this happening?" Blu asked

Then the door to the room opened and Dionysus came in, small wind gusts made some of the drawings that were hanging to fall down to the floor. Blu was mesmerized by the sheer sight of the human. But although this being looked like a human being, he was transparent and wore robes.

"Who…who is this, Clyde…" Blu said while taking several steps back

_Do not be alarmed by my presence, I am Dionysus, God of Nature and Son of Zeus_

Blu had read Greek mythology many times during his life in Moose Lake; he was interested in the topic for about a year before Linda was a high school senior. He read a lot about Dionysus many times before.

"I read a lot about you...You could turn anybody into an animal if they would ever mess with you." Blu said

_The last time I did such an act was against Andrew and before that, it was I who turned pirates into dolphins after they tried to kidnap me during my childhood_. _I only turn my children into animals if they are immorally incorrect with everything around them. They all eventually learn the errors of their ways._

Blu did not believe in any religion, but Greek mythology always excited him, it was the closest belief he would ever believe in.

"How do I know this isn't a dream and we are both in fact in here right now?" Blu asked

The God changed the scene to where all the birds were at, the third compartment had Marcel and Miller in them, waiting for Linda and Tulio. Nigel was on his perch and the birds (including Jewel) were fast asleep.

"I guess that's enough evidence" Blu finished

"Jesus…everyone is here, there is no way we are going to get through them" Clyde said

_Do not be in haste, your friends cannot see you, we are indeed in the very room but I made it so both of you could see for yourselves how much evil is it this room._

"Why don't you just turn these guys into pigs then or something?" Blu asked

_That is a question I cannot answer, I cannot abuse my power, and Andrew is the first person I transform since the time of the Greeks._

"So, you showed us the past so we can understand the future?" Clyde asked Dionysus.

_Eventually, you will make a choice very similar to the one involving your dream sequence; I cannot reveal it because it could drastically void my existence. I showed all of this to you because both of you would understand why so much pain had suddenly disappeared from your soul's. You would be the bird's only hope for salvation, be quick and make haste to find each other. Time is running out…I will look after both of you._

(Song end)

"Hey! Where are you going? Are you just going to leave us here?" Blu asked

But it was too late, both Blu and Clyde's vision became black once more and both woke up in their respected areas of the train. Clyde had passed out earlier in the ventilation shaft which had the others worried. Blu woke up in his cage, he desperately searched for anything to break out and he even tried to bite his way out of the prison he was in. Clyde woke up in a gasp; Pedro was alerted by this and called the others. Nico and Rafael ceased looking into a duct and immediately headed towards the two Red-crested Cardinals'.

"Clyde, are you okay!" Rafael asked

The Cardinal was silent and he wondered if the "dream" he just had was real or not. He confirmed cause of Dionysus.

"I…think I know where Blu is" Clyde said calmly

"How?" Nico asked

"Cause…someone I know told me" Clyde finished

"What…are you sure you are okay, Clyde?" Pedro asked

"I am fine, just follow me; Blu is in the fourth car!" Clyde concluded.

(Day 20) (3:26 Pm) (Fifth car compartment) (**7 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

Linda and Tulio were having a hard time opening these doors, what would only take mere minutes, took longer for both of them. Tulio and Linda were exhausted and collapsed on the floor to rest.

"Jeez, I did not think these doors would be very hard to open" Tulio told Linda

"We have to keep going, we can't stop now" Linda retorted

"Right…let me see where we are" Tulio said as they tried to push the door open like the others.

Tulio took out his phone and used goggle map to find their location

(129 miles from Sao Paulo)

"Oh dear…we are far from Rio de Janeiro now, we are like halfway to Sao Paulo" Tulio said softly

"What about Castillo? Try to get him to go to Sao Paulo himself" Linda told Tulio

"No reception…we are out of luck, their has to be a better way to traverse this train" Tulio said

Both searched for anything, then Linda opened the side door of the train and wind came rushing in. Some of it was strong enough to carry them out. Tulio went first and he found a ladder that lead up to the top of the train. The train itself was traveling at about fifty miles per hour.

"Well, why didn't we think of this?" Tulio told Linda

"Be careful Tulio" Linda shouted as Tulio grabbed on to the train's ladder.

"Give me your hand, Linda" Tulio told her

(Song: **Star wars – Hyperspace theme**)

When both of them got to the top of the train, dark clouds had begun to develop all over the sky. They basically were hanging on to the train; as they crawled their way to the front of the train a sudden sharp turn caused Linda to almost fall. Tulio quickly reacted and saved her. Now the train was heading south east. Meanwhile, the four birds had arrived at the fourth compartment but they were still inside the ventilation system and all of them saw Blu in his cage. With their hopes lifted they tried to open the air duct in order to get to Blu, The Blue Spix Macaw was alerted by the noise and he looked up to find his friends trying to get to him, his hope of being rescued grew substantially. Pedro got in everyone's way and went to the middle and said.

"Ima Pop this duct like a soda can!" Pedro said while doing his little fight moves in sync.

"Not this again…" Nico concluded

Pedro desperately tried to break the air duct but to no avail, eventually he became exhausted and stopped altogether. After he quit he looked at Nico, Pedro was expecting the yellow canary to deliver his line.

"Nico…your late, son" Pedro said to the canary

"Do I really have to say it, this is like the 100th time, Pedro" Nico retorted

"Just say it, I promise I won't say it again" Pedro concluded

"Fine…You call that popping?" Nico asked, rather in an annoyed tone and almost in a monotone voice

"This thing is robust!" Pedro finished

"Enough you two, lets try to charge at the air duct all together at once, that should break it open for us to get through." Rafael suggested

"Alright, let's do this" Clyde said

The four birds took several steps back and then with great speed they charged at the air duct and with all their might, the air duct was destroyed but it caused the birds to fall down to the ground from above. Blu flinched at their fall but he looked at the birds again to see a shadow of a small Cardinal which revealed to be Clyde when the clouds of dust disappeared.

"Guys…you don't know how glad I am to see you!" Blu said

"Don't worry Blu; we'll get you out in no time!" Nico said

Nico checked the lock on the cage and quickly went to find anything useful to break the cage with. Blu saw Clyde coming towards him, Clyde was so sure Blu had the same dream but he wanted to see if he was truly forgiven.

"Did you see him to?" Clyde asked

"The God…Dionysus I think his name was? Yes" Blu answered

"So…you're not mad anymore?" Clyde asked again

"No, you came back to apologize and then came all this way to save us, I forgive you" Blu finished; Clyde made a soft smile and then said

"Thanks Blu…That means a lot to me" Clyde concluded

The Red-crested Cardinal went to search for anything that could be used to open the master lock of the cage.

Clyde found a bobby pin near Blu's cage and immediately grabbed it with his wings and brought it to the cage. First he used his primary wings to take off the plastic protective covering on the pin then Clyde opened the bobby pin in a 180 degree angle and used the end of the bobby pin and inserted it inside the master lock. He bend the pin one way and he took it out and after that he bend it the other way. Rafael went next to Clyde and noticed what he was trying to do.

"What are you doing with that?" Rafael asked

"You'll see, it's kind of easy to do if you would ever get caught by the cops" Clyde said

After all that, he inserted the bobby pin once again and on the very edge of the keyhole he bend it all the way down, this caused the locking mechanism to unlock and release it completely. Rafael quickly took off the lock and opened the cage, releasing Blu from his confines. Blu came out of the cage and ran towards his friends and everyone got into a group hug, including Clyde. When they were finished, Clyde looked at Blu, when the Blue Macaw noticed this he offered his right wing for Clyde to shake, knowing full well that humans did this all the time as greetings or acceptance. Clyde gave a smile and understood the message and he too lifted his wing to shake the Macaw.

"Lets go save the others" Clyde finished, Blu and the others nodded and they all flew to the ventilation shaft to continue to the next compartment.

(song end)

(Day 20) (3:34 Pm) (Third car compartment) (**7 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

Both the humans and the birds reached the same compartment. Linda and Tulio found the ladder to the door and were glad to see it partially opened for them to squeeze through. The train was beginning to slow down; the reason is because there were numerous fallen trees blocking the railroad, probably because of a storm that had hit earlier. Romero had no choice but to stop the train and solve the problem in order to continue and Armando went to tell Marcel the bad news.

"Guys…we have a problem" Armando said to both Marcel and Miller, and then Marcel heard the door being slightly open with sunlight penetrating the confines of the compartment which woke most of the birds from their sleep.

"Quiet you idiot, the vets are coming, go tell Romero to fix it fast" Marcel commanded

"Right, and by the way, can you stop calling me idiot, its really starting to bug…" Armando was interrupted.

"Shut up and go!" Marcel finished, Armando left to the main car.

Meanwhile…

The birds again charged at an air duct and potentially broke it with all their power. They flew down to find all the birds; all of them were talking to the rescuers at the same time, trying to warn them of the impending capture. Linda and Tulio were inside now, Linda noticed Blu and she immediately ran to him. She hugged him tightly, causing him to squawk, she was hugging a little too tightly so she released him. Linda also noticed Clyde, Pedro, Nico and Rafael who were trying to get the locks out but to no avail.

"Oh Blu, I am so happy to see you are okay" Linda said to her companion

"Linda! I am so glad to see you" Blu said to his human friend, Linda could not understand him but she understood the meaning by his expression. But unbeknownst to the humans and the birds, Marcel and Miller sprung into action, Miller threw numerous nets toward the birds and Marcel did the same thing, the restrains were sitting down adjacent to him. Linda and Tulio had no time to react and before they knew it, both were restrained by the smugglers, regardless of their useless attempts to overpower the duo. Clyde had managed to evade the nets but unfortunately, Blu and the others were not so luckly. Clyde wanted to help so he tried to lift the net with all his might but to no avail. Then a shadow rushed towards him and pinned the Red-crested Cardinal down with its talons.

"What do we have here? I did not see you in a cage when we loaded up, it does not matter…when I bite down on your head, will it go pop? Or will it go crack?" Nigel asked the Cardinal as he squeezed the poor bird, causing Clyde to suffer for a few seconds from the pressure.

"Leave him alone!" Pedro shouted

"Yea…he did nothing to you!" Nico joined in the protest.

"Oh shut up, you infidels" Nigel retorted while he continued to hurt Clyde even more.

"Nigel…alive" Marcel said, Nigel went to put Clyde with Pedro and Nico in the same cage. Blu looked down; there was probably no hope for any of them now. The Blue Macaw's cage was set down next to Clyde's cage and was near Jewel's cage. Rafael was taken and forced into a slightly bigger cage then everybody else, Jewel looked at Blu and told him.

"Don't worry, we will get through this, we will think of something" Jewel said

Linda and Tulio were taken to the main car and the birds were left alone in the dark with Nigel. Miller and Marcel saw Romero outside the train; the old man was inspecting the fallen trees.

"What is this, how the hell did this happen?" Marcel asked

"A storm…earthquake, perhaps people did this" Romero said

"How long do you think we can clear this track?" Marcel asked again

"Oh…an hour…maybe two hours." Romero finished

"We don't have another hour, we can't waste time" Marcel retorted

"I am sorry Marcel, this has gotten to the point where I can't help you" Romero concluded

"What now…Marcel?" Miller asked

"Help us clear the tracks" Marcel finished

Meanwhile…

Three Bell 412 helicopters, owned by the Federal Police of Brazil, were only ten miles from the train. In one of these helicopters, it contained Lieutenant Castillo and a rather excited 7 year old Fernando. Fernando was enjoying the scenery from the flying machine; this was breathtaking for the young boy because he never had such an opportunity to be in the air like this. Castillo smiled a little bit at the boy's admiration.

(Day 20) (3:51 Pm) (Main car compartment) (**7 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

Armando had his eyes on Linda and Tulio, any sudden moves they made would result in a warning. The restraints were secured tightly, making an escape seem improbable. Tulio was thinking of a way to evade Armando until Linda opened her mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" Linda asked

Armando stared at her and then said

"Cause my boss says it's a good way to get money" Armando answered

"And do you believe him?" Linda asked again, Armando thought for a second before saying

"Well…selling these birds is the reason I have a home and everything I need to survive" Armando retorted

"But is it the right thing to do?" Linda said

"Do I have a choice? No, Marcel told us no one would ever give us a job and it's true" Armando retorted again

"Listen, you don't have to do all this, you can still help us escape and not get yourself into more trouble." Tulio said

"Were not going to get caught, no one knows what we are doing except you two, which is why we are going to get rid of both of you." Armando concluded

"Oh come on…do you honestly believe that you all will keep doing this and no cop is ever going to know? Linda asked the man

"I have no reason to doubt myself" Armando said

But then Armando remembered the cop that was chasing him and Marcel earlier today, the investigator was with Tulio and both knew exactly what they tried to do when they realized that Fernando was bait.

"Okay…so one cop knows what we are doing but who cares? Once we are done, we will be rich and somewhere far away from here" Armando explained

"Like Miami?" Tulio asked

Armando's eyes widened at the slightly younger man's comment

"How did you know about that?" Armando asked

"Fernando told me, after we rescued him from your hideout" Tulio explained

Armando thought for a moment, he never left Marcel's side because he felt like a brother to him; to some extent. But Marcel's actions and attitude toward Armando made him think otherwise.

"But…I can't let Marcel down, he's family" Armando said

Then, Marcel walked back to the train and saw Armando talking with Tulio and Linda, Marcel shouted at his friend.

"What the hell are you doing idiot! Don't talk to them, take his duct tape and shut them up and come outside after, we need help with this fucking road block" Marcel commanded after he shouted at Armando's face. The leader left in an angry fit and went back to solving the problem that had fallen on all of the smugglers.

"Sigh…" Armando went to put duct tape on the two veterinarians.

"Does he always do that to you?" Linda asked before Armando could put the duct tape

"Not like that, he would never shout at me, but he does call me idiot every time he talks to me" Armando explained

"I can tell he likes to boss you around like a child" Tulio said

"What do you say Armando…help us so we can help you" Linda finished.

"How can you possibly help me?" Armando asked

"I promise we will give you a job worth working for, just please help us and the birds, all we ask" Tulio said

Armando walked back and forth, he looked out the window to see Marcel waiting for him, and anger was present in Marcel's eyes. Armando looked back at the two prisoner's and then walked over to cut them free with his pocket knife.

"Thank you Armando" Tulio said

"Your…welcome, here is the key to all the cages, get them out but I want you guys to leave after you're done" Armando said

"No, come with us, do not stay with them; they will find out about this" Linda said

"I…" Armando said nervously while looking out to Marcel.

"Okay" Armando concluded

Linda and Tulio, now with Armando, went to free Blu and Jewel first and then the other birds

"Wait…these birds belong to the sanctuary, if we free them here they wont have protection" Tulio said, stopping Linda from opening one of the cages.

"Then how are we going to get them out of here?" Linda asked

Then, the three of them, including all the birds, heard a distant noise; eventually as it got closer; the noise began to sound like a helicopter. Tulio was thinking it was just a regular helicopter passing by until they heard a police man shout through a loudspeaker.

"This is Lieutenant Jorge Castillo of the Federal Police of Brazil, you are all under arrest for smuggling illegal animals, put your weapons down and surrender" Castillo warned

Miller was not going to give up so easily, with his rifle he shot two rounds at the main helicopter which instigated a gunfight. Romero took cover at some nearby trees while Marcel and Nigel followed Miller to the opposite side of where the gunfight was happening.

"Stop shooting!" Castillo commanded the officers. All the policemen lowered their guns but they kept their hands on the trigger guard just in case.

"Should we land sir? The team is ready when you are" the pilot asked

"Right…but be careful, they are armed and considered dangerous, if they show sighs of threat, you are to shoot to kill" Castillo ordered.

"Its over, you are surrounded, come peacefully or we will use force" Castillo said over the loudspeaker

Meanwhile…

"How the hell did the find us?" Miller asked Marcel

"I know that cop, he and the veterinarian tried to stop us from getting to our hideout earlier today." Marcel explained

"Then, we have no choice, lets try to get to the jungle, quickly as possible" Miller suggested

"Are you crazy, I will not let them ruin our chance of fortune!" Marcel shouted, Miller forcefully grabbed Marcel with Nigel trying to stop him.

"Listen Marcel…you better get your shit together, we have no other choice, and we can't take all the birds with us" Miller retorted

"Then…we will take the Blue Macaws…they will be worth the most" Marcel finished.

"Then let's hurry and get them before those helicopters land!" Miller concluded.

"Nigel, go get the keys from Armando" Marcel commanded, Nigel complied and entered the train.

"Let's follow him, quickly" Miller said

(Day 20) (4:12 Pm) (Third car compartment) (**7 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

(Song: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within by**Elliot Goldenthal**** - **Code Red**)**

Armando unlocked the cages of Clyde, Pedro and Nico as well as Rafael, after he let them out, he went towards Blu and Jewel to let them out

"How ironic…after all I have been through trying to get these birds…and two times I tried and now I am helping them escape…that's a joke" Armando said while trying to unlock Blu's cage.

Then…they heard footsteps and the flapping of wings, Tulio and Linda went for cover, Marcel and Miller including Nigel entered the compartment. Clyde and the others hid with the humans and tried not to make a sound. Armando improvised and pretended he was cleaning the cages, a big mistake. Miller noticed the empty cages with the doors opened.

"What happened here Armando…?" Marcel asked coldly.

"I…I was just cleaning, that's all" Armando said

"That is a lie, where is the toucan and the two Cardinals?" Miller asked

"I don't know…" Armando said

"And the veterinarians YOU were supposed to be watching?" Marcel shouted

"They must have escaped and…" Armando said sarcastically.

"Kid…I just had enough, if we find out you are hiding something from us, I will personally beat the living shit out of you" Miller said, grabbing Armando

"I…have not seen them anywhere" Armando lied

Miller had enough; he threw Armando toward a wall and aimed his gun at the smuggler

"Kid…you better not be lying, or I swear to almighty God I will paint the walls with your fucking brain" Miller shouted

"Wait! They must have found a key to escape" Armando shouted, pleading not to be shot.

"Im going to count to three and you better tell us where the veterinarians and the birds are you traitor!" Miller shouted

Nigel took flight again and flew around the room, looking for them

"I don't know I swear" Armando kneeled down on the floor

"ONE"

"I swear! To God I have not seen them!" Armando shouted

"Just tell us, Armando!" Marcel shouted

"TWO!" Miller was not going to hesitate; he was going to indeed shoot Armando very soon. Linda was sweating; the intensity was climbing with every millisecond, her eyes dilated and she stood up and shouted at the top of her lungs

"Stop!" Linda shouted

(Song end)

"You leave him alone…" Linda said

Miller lowered his weapon and went towards the woman and slapped her

"You are really a pest aren't you" Miller shouted

Tulio could not see his soon to be wife be slapped by the man, he lifted his arm and with all his might he punched Miller in the face. For the first time ever, Miller flinched and his lips were bleeding.

"You…son of a…" Miller was about to beat up Tulio until Marcel addressed him.

"Forget them, we don't have much time left, grab the male Macaw's cage and follow me" Marcel finished; he took Jewel's cage and before he left the room, he took once last glimpse of Armando, he was disappointed, he left the room while Nigel landed on his master's shoulder.

"No! We can't let them take Blu and Jewel!" Rafael shouted

"We have to stop them…forget the risks…we have to" Clyde agreed.

Miller took Blu's cage and stopped for a split second; he aimed his gun at Armando and discharged his powerful killing machine. Clyde's eyes widened at his father's cold eyes and yelled. Linda screamed as the loud sound penetrated her ears. The bullet made contact with Armando's arm and now his body was bleeding profusely. The officers heard the discharge and were ordered to land immediately and take action.

"That's for lying to us, have a nice day" Miller finished as he left the train

Linda and Tulio rushed to Armando's aid.

"Oh my God…he's bleeding out, we need to get him to a doctor" Tulio said

"Oh…don't worry, it's just a flesh wound" Armando concluded

"Here, apply pressure to the bleeding; I will create a makeshift bandage" Tulio told Linda as he ripped a part of his sleeve and applied it to the wound.

"Lets get him inside one of the helicopters, we need to get him to a nearby hospital" Linda finished

The two vets carried Armando and headed out the train carefully, the officers confirmed it was the veterinarians and lowered their weapons. The birds followed them; Clyde noticed a sigh nearby to where the smugglers ran off to. He examined and concluded the sigh said "Sugar Mill". The veterinarians reached Castillo's helicopter and put Armando inside.

"What happened to him?" Castillo asked, he remembered this person was the smuggler who kidnapped Fernando. He lifted his eyebrow, expecting an answer.

"He tried to help us but he got shot by Miller" Tulio explained

"Don't worry, our pilot will take him to a hospital immediately" Castillo said while looking back to his squad; his squad consisted of 5 members including himself, some were armed with Mp5k and the rest with several M4A1s, Armando was inside with a few officers checking his wound.

"wait…what about me?" Fernando asked

"You know you can't come stop asking okay!" Linda commanded

"Sigh…fine" Fernando finished

"Alright men, stay frosty and make sure not to leave yourself open, these smugglers want a war then they have a war coming to them" Castillo finished; he carried an m4A1 that was attached to a sling.

"You're not going to…kill them, right?" Tulio asked

"Listen doctor…we are going to try not to but if we feel they will have an opportunity to kill us then we will" Castillo concluded

"We should come with you" Linda said

"And why should I endanger your life, Mrs. Montero?" Castillo asked

"Because they have my best friend held captive" Linda retorted.

Castillo looked at his squad and then back to Linda, he was about to make the toughest decision of his career

"Okay. But stay behind us, please, we don't want any casualties" Castillo finished

Rafael, Pedro and Nico were with Clyde, the Red-crested Cardinal spoke up

"Guys, they went this way, follow the trail" Clyde said

The birds followed with Linda noticing their departure into the jungle

"Follow them!" Linda said

"How could they possibly know where the smugglers…" Castillo was interrupted

"Remember the bird that could spell out the address?" Linda reminded the Lieutenant.

"Right…follow the train, it apparently leads to a sugar mill" Castillo said after he noticed the sigh

(Song: **Terminator 2 – soundtrack10 – swat team attacks**)

It began to rain, but it was at first in small drops which landed on small leaves until it started to get more frequent. The team was making sure every angle was secure before moving on, the trail eventually lead to an abandoned road, the road itself was covered in lush vegetation; this showed how years of neglect could do to man made objects like roads. The road was about two miles long and would eventually lead to the sugar mill. The smugglers were running through the ever increasing rain drops, they were close to the sugar mile but decided to slow down to rest for a little bit. Blu looked at Jewel; she was having a hard time being rocked about like this.

(End song)

"Jewel…don't worry, at least we are together, sort of" Blu told her

"Do…you think we will be saved?" Jewel asked

"All the survival guides say to sit and wait and help will come" Blu said

"No one is coming…Blu, it's just like the time when we were chained, at the smugglers hideout" Jewel retorted

"Sigh…I tried Jewel…I hope you understand" Blu said

"I do" Jewel finished

"Clyde tried to help as well; I thought he was just like them until I realized he changed" Blu explained

"What do you mean changed?" Jewel asked

"Remember that conversation we had before Nigel took us?" Blu asked the Female Macaw.

"Yes, I remember" Jewel said

"Well…Clyde used to be human and he was a smuggler himself, you see…he was Andrew" Blu explained

"Oh not this again" Jewel said

"Listen Jewel…you don't have to believe me but I know it's true, I saw the person who turned him into a bird" Blu retorted

"And just who could have the power to turn a human into a bird, Blu?" Jewel asked

"His name is Dionysus, he had contact with Andrew long before all this, when Andrew tried to kill Rafael, The God transformed him into a bird as punishment. Somehow I remember feeling a gust of wind before Andrew disappeared." Blu explained

"I see...tell me more" Jewel said

"Okay well…" Blu kept explaining to her as they were being taken to the sugar mill.

(Day 20) (4:29 Pm) (The road to the sugar mill) (**6 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th)**

(Song: **Terminator 2 soundtrack02 - Sarah on the Run**)

The squad was close to the smugglers now and was in a flying wedge formation; the rain was now at its rising climax with a couple of thunderstorms lingering in the entire jungle area. Everyone was wet from the rain, Linda and Tulio were close to each other; eventually Castillo could see the formation of two human beings in the distance with two cages.

"Break formation, two go to the right and the rest to the left" Castillo commanded, leaving him in the middle with Tulio and Linda.

Then…with one sudden movement, a squad member had accidently stepped on a twig, alerting the smugglers, the two ran off into the horizon with the cages.

"If they resist arrest, use your batons" Castillo said, this reminded Linda of the Security guard at the prison. How he almost beat her with his Baton and how she nearly killed him, maybe she did kill him.

"Listen…Castillo; will we go to jail after all this?" Linda asked

"Now is not the time to ask that Linda" Castillo retorted

"But I must know" Linda said

The smugglers entered the Sugar Mill; it was quiet and full of abandoned items once used by workers. The sugar Mill itself was a huge factory, it was at least 100 feet tall. The facility had a few torn out roofs and broken windows, rust was everywhere. Grass had grown inside and young trees were present everywhere. The stairs were old and rigid, Miller and Marcel carefully inspected them, insuring they were safe to step on.

"Alright, we will just hide here until this is over" Marcel said

"Are you kidding? We have cops from all over the county looking for us; we can't stay here its too dangerous!" Miller shouted

"Listen Miller! I don't care what you think! These birds stay here for now, you either go away empty handed or stay with me for the fortune that awaits us" Marcel shouted to Miller

Linda had hoped her best friend, the Blue Macaw that was worth so much to the market, was fine. Jewel looked at Blu and he did the same, Clyde saw a lightning bolt over the horizon where the sugar mill was. He hoped his two friends were okay, Rafael, Pedro and Nico had determination in their eyes. Miller was beginning to think Marcel was planning to have all the fortune for himself. In the distance, the sound of thunder could be heard.

End of part 1


	14. The finale, part 2

**I graduated on Wednesday May 25****th****, I was so excited lol, finally more freedom and obviously more responsibility now but I will enjoy college nonetheless. I am currently in Bogota, Columbia with my cousins and this is a beautiful place to be right now. **

**.com/watch?v=ru1ersgP8p4&feature=related **(if you cannot find the heavy rain song for the fight scene)

**In this chapter, I would like to thank everyone who has read my story so far, I am glad you all are happy to see such a fic come into existence. Rio: forgotten memories was inspired by real life actions I had towards birds myself. I was a child and I hated birds, I used to throw rocks at them all the time until my wake up call was when my father found a baby ring-necked dove while we were driving home one day, I was only nine and harassed the bird, day and night. Much to its dismay, eventually it could not walk at all; its legs became disfigured to the point my parents had to put the poor thing to rest. That really hit me inside, it was the first time I saw an animal die in front of my eyes. Years later, I still carry the heavy burden with me; I wished I had not done such a thing. Then Rio came out and I was inspired to combine my life story with Rio itself. This was the result and I am proud my inspiration was enough to entertain you all. Like my Original character, Andrew/Clyde, I have changed. **

=** BE WARNED! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED =**

The Finale part 2

(Day 20) (4:37 Pm) (The sugar mill) (**6 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th**)

The rain continued as it plummeted to the ground from the clouds above, the squad arrived at the sugar mill, the entire place smelled horrendous, trash was everywhere and paintball remnants were seen among the walls of the old, abandoned sugar mill. This was a perfect place to play air soft and paintball, but it was closed down after the area proved to be too dangerous for players. Now, it was nothing but a decaying factory with rain slowly eating away at its metal and concrete. Castillo was tense, he knew somehow something bad was awaiting all of them.

"Disperse and find the suspects" Castillo ordered.

The entire squad moved in different directions, Linda and Tulio followed Lieutenant Castillo, they were cold from the rain, but Castillo was not, he showed no sighs of weakness or limitations, he was used to these kinds of scenarios. Linda was still waiting for the answer to her question about the veterinarian's fate after this whole scenario.

"Listen Castillo, you still have not answered my question, will we still be in trouble after this?" Linda asked

"Linda, that decision is not mine to choose, I like both of you to be honest, at first I thought both of you were nothing but liars, I see now that I was wrong, you have done a lot trying to save your birds and I understand that, but I cannot say you are innocent; Please understand" Castillo explained

"I…understand" Linda finished, Tulio felt the same emotions that Linda was feeling, he held her close; Making sure that whatever happens, he would always be there for her. All she could do was to return the action and hope for the best.

Castillo stopped by a half broken door and ordered both vets to take cover; Castillo took out a set of binoculars and examined the inside of the sugar mill factory. He found the smugglers, both were hiding on the third floor, Nigel was with them and the two Blue Macaw's as well. Miller seemed to be getting into an argument with Marcel.

"whats going on?" Tulio said

"We need a way to get them down here, perhaps an ambush…" Castillo explained.

"How?" Tulio asked

Castillo examined the interior and the exterior of the sugar mill, the third floor was connected to a sky bridge, it lead to a refinery. But parts of the bridge were gone, broken apart by an unknown force, presumably the effect of corrosion; so only half of the bridge was still standing, but with enough weight, the rest of the bridge could in fact collapse to the ground below. The lieutenant examined the interior and found the stairs to be the only access back down.

"Looks like the only way down are those stairs to the right…so if air support comes, they will make a run for it, no doubt about it, and we will be ready, they cant possibly jump that bridge, that would be suicide" Castillo said

"Great idea…" Linda agreed

"Hopefully this will work" Tulio finished 

Castillo took out a Motorola T5022 and had the channel to 17, where he addressed the main helicopter that was sitting by the train. The pilot was talking to Armando until he heard his walkie talkie scream for help. He rushed to its aid and answered the call.

"Hotel Bravo, this is Echo one, we require air support, I am sending you the coordinates right now, we are about 5 klicks from your position, southwest from the train tracks, are you receiving me Hotel Bravo, confirm" Castillo said in Portuguese.

The pilot received the message and went to tell the crew to move Armando and Fernando to another helicopter for safety reasons. Fernando at first hesitated but agreed to leave afterwards. Fernando checked on Armando, all the smuggler could do was smile softly.

"Heh…kid…im sorry for how I treated you, a few weeks ago and how we fooled you from the start. I just through that I did not have a choice you know, but Marcel…he's suddenly different, but he always mistreated me and Tipa so it does not matter." Armando said, his sentences were paused from time to time, he was losing energy, was he dying? Nobody knew but the bullet had penetrated deep within his arm and was now leaving toxic chemicals that were quickly spreading in his body.

"Hey…officers, I think we need to take him to the hospital, now" Fernando said

"We can't leave without orders from Castillo" One officer said

"Listen! He's going to die if we stand here and do nothing! Would you like it if you were dying and there were people standing around you, not doing anything to help?" Fernando proved his point.

All the officers stood there, their mouths gaped, and this boy had just showed them how smart he really is. The officer standing next to Fernando signaled the pilot of the second helicopter to take off to the nearest hospital.

"I never met a kid like you, not with such determination; you clearly beat anything I did when I was your age"

"But all I said was…" Fernando was interrupted

"Listen kid, you could indeed have saved this mans life for giving that speech, be glad" The officer finished.

The second helicopter took off to the nearest city which was Guaratingueta, the town was ten miles from the train, and the city itself was situated within the state of Sao Paulo, although the capital was Sao Paulo. The nearest hospital was Hospital e Maternidade Frei Galvão. It was the closest salvation for Armando to have; Fernando held the smugglers hand and said.

"I forgive you" Fernando finished.

Meanwhile…

There was a short silence but then the walkie talkie screamed with the pilot's voice.

"Affirmative Echo one, we are heading to your position, estimated time, five minutes" The pilot said over the walkie talkie.

"Roger that Hotel Bravo" Casitllo concluded, he put away his device and watched as the smugglers kept fighting with each other, he passed the binoculars to Linda, who wanted to see what was going on. Castillo called for his men on the radio and the squad members stood by the door with him.

"So…you really think we could just sit here, and wait for them to leave, they have three helicopters! A squad of highly trained officers; not to mention a search party looking for us in this very place!" Miller shouted

"Do we have a choice in the matter? We are sitting ducks thanks to those stupid veterinarians, now we are on our own, no Armando, no Romero, just us!" Marcel retorted.

"I can't believe this…Why did I think this was such a great idea…going 200 miles to Sao Paulo like this. First having to deal with those veterinarians, then having your friend turn on us and after that a cop that followed us every step of the way." Miller shouted in Marcel's face.

"We did not have a choice! This was our only way of getting the birds to the trade!" Marcel retorted

"What abut Diego? Marcel" Miller asked, remembering the person he used to trade the animals for cash.

"He doesn't work with the system anymore and his son, Tipa, left us after those vets got us out of prison" Marcel said

"Wait…what" Miller shouted

"Damn it…" Marcel said quietly

"What do you mean those vets got you out of prison?" Miller asked

"Well…they made an agreement with Diego…if they took him out they would get something in return, I don't know what reward they got but we got out ourselves and Tipa told us Fernando was having a game. Tipa thought we wouldn't do this again, but I found it as an opportunity to get the birds at the sanctuary. The train was the fastest way to Sao Paulo.

"And what about the plane we all used to use, Marcel!" Miller shouted

"Well...it sort of got blown up." Marcel said

"What? How!" Miller asked

"cause….we….sigh, this was not the first time we attempted to capture these birds and bring them to Sao Paulo, we almost had these two Blue Macaws until one of them opened the hatch of the plane and freed the birds from their cages" Marcel confessed

"So you are telling me…birds, stupid animals; who can't possibly get out of secured cages, got out and blew up the plane?" Miller asked

One of the Blue Macaws somehow got out of its silly little cage and managed to ruin our chance of fortune, it blocked the doors to the hatch and when I noticed the fire extinguisher on the floor and the broken cage, I attempted to break open the door but...I don't know how they did it but they all escaped. And now, some stupid Veterinarians ruined our second chance at fortune, you understand, Miller" Marcel finished

"I can't believe this, I thought you people knew what you were doing, and I was only needed to help you get the birds, not get my ass into this situation!" Miller retorted

"Listen! We did not expect to be followed, our entire plan worked until the cop got into this" Marcel retorted

Then, a voice could be heard from below, it was Castillo with a loudspeaker and the veterinarians were with him. Clyde, Pedro, Nico and Rafael were close by; they found Blu and Jewel, sitting a few feet away from the smugglers. Nigel smelled them, but could not find them right away. The birds landed next to the cages and greeted the captured Macaws.

"Attention Smugglers, its over, come down from there and surrender; we can think of a negotiation, no charges will be held against you" Castillo said

"Do you think we are stupid enough to believe you and your lies?" Marcel shouted

Castillo looked at Linda and she did the same, he then turned his head towards the smugglers and shouted through the loudspeaker

"We are giving you a chance to come down here peacefully, you have two minutes to comply" Castillo finished.

Then Linda could see Censario with the birds on the third floor, they got to the cages and Clyde was right next to Blu's cage. The expression on the two Blue Macaws immediately went from dismay to joy.

"They can't open those cages by themselves…" Linda said

"Do you have some sort of key with you from the train?" Castillo asked

Linda searched her pockets and found the keys to unlock the cages, given to her by Armando before his confrontation with Miller and injury.

"Right here" Linda said

"Good, now we will wait for them to come down to us, if they don't come down, we will make them come down." Castillo finished

Meanwhile…

"Guys…im so glad you're here, I thought we were done for sure" Blu said

"Thank God you guys came, quick get us out before Nigel finds out what you guys are doing" Jewel said

"Don't worry guys, we will get you out of there as quickly as we can" Rafael said

"Guys, I think we are being watched…" Nico said, noticing a shadow in the dark, rainy horizon.

"What do you mean?" Pedro asked

The birds stopped what they were doing and saw for themselves the shadow that soon became Nigel as he dove down to attack all of them. Clyde saw Nigel; the cockatoo was flying towards him so fast that he could not fly away in time. The Cockatoo grabbed him by the throat and started to make him suffocate.

(Song: **Minority report soundtrack – Everybody runs)**)

"You birds again! You are beginning to get on my nerves, especially you…" Nigel said

"Clyde!" Everyone but Nigel and Clyde himself, shouted as the thunder above them escalated to its climax.

"Let go of him!" Jewel said

"Nigel! Leave him alone! Nigel!" Blu said as Clyde's color turned blue then to purple.

Pedro and Nico immediately remembered the huge Talons on the Cockatoo; they immediately hid behind Blu's cage for cover.

Rafael could not see his friend be strangled like that, being the peaceful Toucan he was, he felt as though he could not fight with anyone, especially his own kind. That was true until Clyde started to gasp for air and began to move all over the place, struggling to get free from the cockatoo's mighty talons. Nigel was going to kill him if no one helped, Pedro and Nico couldn't help, and they were very small compared to Nigel. Rafael the toucan could not watch anymore, something inside him snapped, his eyebrows changed into a furious expression, Rafael walked towards Nigel and called for him.

"Hey! Bird brain!" Rafael shouted

It became silent with the exception of the sound of rain hitting against the corroded metal of the sugar mill.

Nigel became furious at that comment and looked behind him to find Rafael standing next to him. Rafael used his beak to hit Nigel and the Cockatoo let go of the cardinal. The force of the toucan's beak was strong enough to get him off Clyde. Nigel flinched, surprised about what just happened. This was the first time any bird has done that to him but he quickly gained his composure, pretending what just happened did not happen.

"Oh…silly, do you think you have a chance" Nigel coldly questioned the toucan

"Leave…him…alone" Rafael said

Nigel was about to go for Clyde again until he saw Rafael's face, he remembered the toucan from somewhere.

"You look familiar…tell me your name" Nigel asked

"The name is Rafael, father of eighteen sons'" The toucan said

"Oh…I remember now, the king of carnival, I can see you have gray feathers now, save that temper when you really need it, for the kids." Nigel finished as he walked towards Clyde again.

"Don't get me angry, Nigel…" Rafael said

Pedro and Nico never saw Rafael get so angry before, not even when he was mad at Clyde; the toucan was about to snap, he was going to hit Nigel with everything he had.

Nigel placed his talons on Clyde throat again, and the cardinal gasped for air once more

"I am sorry, are you mad, I did not mean to make such a peaceful father become so aggressive." Nigel taunted

(Song time – **1:21 – 2:25**)

"I…said…LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Rafael shouted as he charged towards the Cockatoo, they both fell from the sugar mill but both recovered by flying. Rafael and Nigel began to have a furious aerial battle. Linda could not believe what she was seeing, while the two birds were having their fight, the helicopter arrived to the scene with a searchlight that illuminated the smugglers. Marcel began to panic but Miller kept headstrong, not wanting to hear Marcel's demands of running for it. Marcel felt tense, he didn't want to go to jail again; the very thought of him having his freedom taken away from him, the very thought made him cringe. He began sweating, even though it was raining hard and it seemed improbable but he could not sit around anymore.

"It's over Miller! They got us on the hold! I am out of here with the Macaws!" Marcel shouted, taking Jewel and Blu. The macaws squawked for help.

Pedro noticed this and shouted for the Macaws; Clyde, who recovered from the attack, also noticed the Macaws being taken away. Nigel began to scratch the toucan with his sharp talons. Rafael kept using his beak to hit Nigel, both birds were becoming exhausted; both were delivering the same amount of damage to each other. Then, Nigel grabbed the toucan's feet and carried him, rendering him defenseless, Rafael tried everything to escape but he could not. Clyde saw this happen and rushed to the toucan's assistance. The Cockatoo was taking the toucan to a conveyor belt; Nigel used his left talon to activate the belt by pushing a lever while he had the toucan's feet with his right talon. The conveyor belt began to move towards a grinder that was once used to crush sugar cane but was now going to be used to kill Rafael. Clyde's eyes widened as the sound of thunder and the sight of lightning enhanced the intensity and gravity of the situation.

(Song end)

The helicopter had its search lights pointed at Miller, but then a sudden flash of lightning made him disappear, he ran back inside the building just as the lightning flashed. The wind from the storm began to build until it was 20 miles per hour. It was raining so much that visibility was reduced to low levels. Castillo could not see the third floor anymore; the squad was waiting orders from the lieutenant. The helicopter was forced to land; it rested outside the sugar mill and the officers awaited further orders.

Meanwhile…

Miller saw Marcel going downstairs; he grabbed the man and stopped him from going down to the second floor with the Macaws.

"Are you mad? They are waiting for us out there" Miller said

"I don't care, I have to try" Marcel retorted

"You can't be serious" Miller said back

"I am deadly serious" Marcel finished

But when Marcel was about to go down the stairs again, he heard a cocking mechanism go off. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back to see Miller holding his rifle towards him. The birds knew about wars and murderers but after seeing Armando getting shot by Miller, they knew exactly how far this man was willing to go to get what he wanted. Miller had his finger on the trigger with the bullet waiting to be released from the chamber.

"You're not going anywhere my friend" Miller said coldly

"What, now you are going to shoot me, like you did Armando!" Marcel retorted

"You know I will" Miller said

"I doubt it" Marcel retorted

"Marcel, I don't have time to play games, come back up here" Miller ordered

"You are crazy…Miller, you are willing to shoot your own friend for…" Marcel was interrupted

"Give me the birds, Marcel; then you can go Scot free, if you really think that is going to happen" Miller said

"No…these are MY birds! I worked very hard to get them under my grasp" Marcel shouted

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into, Marcel" Miller warned.

Marcel thought of something, he turned back and set the cages down

"Okay…fine, you win" Marcel said

"Good…hand me the cages" Miller commanded

Marcel walked very slowly with the cages to Miller, the six foot tall man picked them up but before he could react, Marcel drew his M9 from his holster and had it aimed for Miller's head. Blu and Jewel gasped at this action by Marcel, they did not even know he had a gun from the start.

"How cute…threatening me with that toy weapon" Miller simply said

"How cute…pointing a gun at your best friend, and threatening to kill him" Marcel retorted

"Best friend? When did I ever call you best friend?" Miller asked

"I thought you needed a best friend since you don't have any friends" Marcel insulted

"I swear to God…Marcel" Miller commented

"Put your rifle down…." Marcel ordered

"And what if I don't?" Miller asked

"You will see for yourself" Marcel said

"Do you really think I am scared of dying?" Miller asked

"I don't care if you die, I just want you to give me the rifle" Marcel said

"Then kill me, Marcel" Miller commanded

"Give me the rifle first" Marcel asked

"Do it…finish me off" Miller ordered

"I find your desire to die, rather disturbing" Marcel commented

"Just kill me on the spot, because I am not giving you my rifle, I have had this rifle for years and I refuse to give it to an ignorant person like you, Marcel" Miller shouted

Then, Marcel hit Miller in the face with his M9 and the man dropped his rifle, Marcel put his pistol back in his holster and took the rifle. Miller immediately recovered and ran towards Marcel to reclaim his rifle until Marcel pointed his rifle at Miller.

"Never point a gun at anybody, mister; now you know how I felt, it feels scary now that you have your own gun pointed at your face" Marcel finished

Marcel kept pointing the rifle at Miller until he backed away and grabbed Jewel's cage and went down the stairs.

"Blu!" Jewel shouted

"Jewel!" Blu returned the shout from Jewel.

"This isn't over, Marcel" Miller coldly said

"It is for you, but you can keep the male, the female is worth a lot more" Marcel retorted

Miller watched helplessly as his whole world collapsed, he lost everything he had and now he would soon lose his freedom, he punched the nearby corroded wall and in doing so it caused a dent in the wall itself. Miller began to bleed on his hand; it dripped till the rain washed it down to the floors below. Blu watched as Miller came towards him; the Blue macaw had his back against the wall. Miller came closer and closer until he formed a smile on his face.

"I guess it's just you and me, now" Miller smiled

Meanwhile…

Clyde watched in horror as Rafael was hopelessly caught in the talons of Nigel, the conveyor belt was slowly taking them to the grinder which would soon kill the toucan if nobody helped. Pedro and Nico flew next to Clyde; both of them were shocked at the sight of the Cockatoo.

"Guys, why didn't you help Rafael get rid of Nigel when I was in trouble?" Clyde asked

"Well…we…sorta have a thing with Huge Ninja talons" Nico said to Clyde

"We will be sliced to pieces if we came across Nigel, please understand" Pedro told Clyde

"Rafael is going to die if we don't help him though! I can't do it alone, would you rather see your friend get chopped into a million pieces and just stand there or save his life!" Clyde said

The Cardinal and the Canary looked at each other and then their eyebrows shifted; both of them nodded at each other and turned to Clyde.

"Rafie needs us" Pedro said

"Let's go show this pea brain we mean business!" Nico concluded.

Clyde and the two birds charged toward Nigel and before the Cockatoo could throw Rafael into the grinder, Nigel heard screams of charge and before he could react he was pushed aside by Clyde, Pedro and Nico, the combined force of the three birds drew Nigel back and the Cockatoo saw the birds rush towards him again. Rafael was free of the Cockatoo's grasp and he saw his friends pecking Nigel.

"Get off me you half wits!" Nigel shouted as he was constantly being harassed by the birds. Rafael Slowly recovered, Pedro and Nico were smacked by Nigel's wings and were momentarily stunned. Clyde realized that he was an easy target for Nigel now so he tried to fly away. Nigel smirked at this and he flew at tops speeds toward the Cardinal.

Nigel was not going to let Clyde get away that easily, he grabbed the Red-crested Cardinal with his right talon and began to choke Clyde once again. "Well…Ill have to hand it to you, You're a bigger pain in the neck then I could have thought possible." Nigel said

Clyde struggled hopelessly under Nigel's grasp; he began to struggle less after a few seconds of trying to escape.

"Tired? Well…it's a darn shame, because I am just….getting…warmed…up!" Nigel said to the cardinal's face, his eyes perfectly blended with some of the lighting that appeared after his comment.

With some strength left, Clyde formed a smirk and Nigel raised an eyebrow in confusion 

"Allow me to break the ice!" Rafael shouted, Nigel's eyes dilated and he looked behind him but it was too late.

Rafael pushed the Cockatoo into a wall and the force of the impact immediately made him lose consciousness. The white Cockatoo slumped to the floor with a bit of blood coming out of his skull but that blood was washed down by the rain. Rafael began to feel lightheaded as he lost a bunch of energy during the fight; he flew down to the ground and sat on the overgrown grass. Clyde, Pedro and Nico rushed to his aid.

"Gosh…I never expected to act like this to my own kind" Rafael said as his breathing began to slow down.

"You did the right thing, Rafael" Pedro said

"Yea…and I owe you guys a lot for saving me" Rafael said to his friends

"It was Clyde's Idea to be honest, we felt as though we couldn't help until Clyde persuaded us" Nico explained

"I guess now we can rest" Clyde said

"What about Blu and Jewel?" Rafael asked

Clyde had just remembered the Macaws, they totally forgot about them during the conflict. Clyde spread his wings and prepared to fly, with the rain still dropping down from above.

"It's not over yet, we have to save them, follow me" Clyde finished

Rafael, even though he was weak from the fight, followed the Cardinal, along with Nico and Pedro.

(Day 20) (4:56 Pm) (The sugar mill) (**6 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th**)

Marcel was down the stairs and with Jewel's cage on his left hand and Miller's rifle on his right, Castillo peeked into the interior of the sugar mill to find Marcel coming at his direction. He told Linda and Tulio to stay back and Castillo ordered the ambush to happen.

"Now…if I can just find an alternate trail…maybe I can still get to Sao Paulo, with half of what I will get…ill still be rich either way…" Marcel said, he completely forgot about the cops at the front of the sugar mill. Castillo and his men were just inches away.

Marcel stopped, he heard noises, he knew it was someone or a group of people; but before he could react, Castillo and his men stormed inside the compound. Marcel dropped Jewels cage and before he could aim the rifle at Castillo, the lieutenant successfully disarmed him. Three squad members restrained Marcel and Linda came in with Tulio. Castillo remembered the mans face from when he kidnapped Fernando.

"What do we have here, the man from the Favela" Castillo said while Marcel was on the ground facedown.

"Do what you will, I will get out again somehow" Marcel said

"Oh, I don't think that will happen, we will be sure to put you in a place far more suitable for you." Castillo said to the smuggler.

"You don't get it do you? I will keep coming back and I will try and try again till I have these Macaws again!" Marcel said

"We shall see, take him away men" Castillo ordered

"Roger" One man said

The head smuggler was dragged out of the sugar mill and was being taken to the helicopter.

"Do you think this is over? Not by a long shot! I will not stop! I will not rest until those Macaws are mine again!" Marcel shouted his final line before being taken away, his words echoed in the rainy compound. Linda and Tulio were very tense about this, but now at least everything was starting to ease up for them. Linda approached Jewel's cage and took out the keys and unlocked the cage. Jewel immediately took flight and flew towards the stairs, she signaled Linda and Tulio to follow. Linda understood that Blu was upstairs, Linda ran to the stairs and went up to the next two floors, Tulio followed; they left Castillo with two of his men to hunt down for Miller now. Linda and Tulio arrived at the third floor to find Blu in his cage; Jewel was flying right beside them.

"Blu! Thank god you are okay" Linda shouted as she ran towards him, Tulio stopped for some air and he saw Linda get the keys out of her pocket.

"No wait! Linda! It's a trap! He's waiting for you!" Blu tried to warn his best friend but to no avail

Linda stopped running towards him, she almost slipped due to the slippery roof.

"What is it Blu?" The dark red haired woman said, as Linda asked the question she was knocked down with incredible force, Tulio's eyes widened and he ran to her assistance.

"Nice of you to join our little party, Princess" Miller said coldly while keeping Linda still.

"Leave her alone! Miller!" Tulio shouted as he tried to get Miller off Linda

Miller then turned his aggressiveness towards Tulio, The veterinarian began to take many steps back until he had his back against the wall and Miller grabbed him. Miller raised his arm to strike Tulio.

"Allow me to return the favor, this is for punching me back at the train, Mr. Vet" Miller said

(Song: **Heavy rain – The hoards Descend**)

Before he could hit Tulio with all he had, Linda picked up a corroded steel pipe and she swung the weapon with all of her might towards Miller. The six foot tall man dropped Tulio and forced his way toward Linda.

"Stay away!" Linda shouted, she backed away as far as she could until she came to the edge, if she were to fall, it would sure mean death to her. Blu tried everything to get out of his cage. The keys were literally a few feet away from him; they were dropped during the skirmish. The male Blue Macaw tried to use his feet to grab the keys but it was hopeless.

As Linda swung the steel pipe again, Miller blocked the pipe and took the weapon from her, Miller forced Linda down on the ground and he began to use the steel pipe to choke her. Tulio yelled as he charged toward the smuggler but his physically frail body almost had no affect on Miller. Castillo began to hear yells upstairs, he signaled the others to stay which was the biggest mistake he had ever done in the history of his career, he ran up the stairs and the sounds began to form into words.

"I said leave her alone! Miller!" Tulio shouted

"I should have killed you when I had the chance, princess!" Miller shouted as he continued to choke Linda despite Tulio's attempts.

"Miller! Please don't! Take me instead! Just leave her alone!" Tulio pleaded

Miller just smiled mischievously as the sight of lightning overhead made his face look more menacing than ever before. The man had lost his sanity, he really did not care for anything anymore and he would be sure to take this woman's life.

"Please! Miller! I am begging you! Get off her!" Tulio shouted again

Then out of nowhere, Castillo charged at the smuggler, making him get off Linda, Tulio grabbed Linda and checked to see if she was alright. Clyde and the others just appeared and witnessed what was happening. Clyde saw his father fighting the cop until both of them stepped on the sky bridge.

(Song end)

Both Miller and Castillo were on the half broken sky bridge, with slippery water and nowhere to run at, Castillo was in a very dangerous place to be right now. Miller found this as an opportunity.

"Oh…I almost forgot about you…Mr.…Five…O" Miller said to Castillo.

"Just turn yourself in peacefully…don't make me kill you" Castillo said coldly, he pointed his M4 at the smuggler.

"Ha! You can try, but I know you wont; Cause you had so many chances to kill me before" Miller retorted

"Trust me…Miller, I killed many people in my time, people who were just like you and tried to kill others" Castillo explained

"Don't try to scare me with your cop trash, cause I ain't buying it" Miller said while holding the steel pipe.

Then, a sudden lightning bolt nearby caused Castillo to temporarily shut his eyes for a few seconds; after the brief blind episode, He saw Miller charge towards him. He fired his weapon but it missed as Miller made Castillo drop his rifle. The bullet ricochet all over the sugar mill. The weapon fell 100 feet before hitting the ground in pieces.

(Song: **Heavy rain soundtrack – the fight**)

Miller swung the steel pipe, only to have it taken by Castillo, the lieutenant smacked Miller and Castillo kicked the smugglers stomach to get him off. There were several tools that were left untouched for many years that Miller picked up. Castillo threw the steel pipe towards Miller who immediately dodged it; Miller found several pipes to throw at Castillo, with only some actually hitting him but having no profound affect. The smuggler then found a hammer and ran towards the officer. He swung violently at the cop but the slippery floor caused him to be extremely clumsy, Castillo found this as an opportunity and he performed a side kick that caused Miller to cringe in pain. Castillo continued his side kicks until he was out of the sky bridge area, Miller then grabbed the officer's leg and caused Castillo to twist and hit the ground in pain. As Castillo fell, his pistol came out of his holster, Miller and Castillo both noticed this and ran toward the weapon. Before Miller could grab it, Castillo kicked the smugglers legs and caused him to trip. Castillo ran for the gun but Miller grabbed his legs and caused him to slip. Both recovered and now engaged into a fist fight. Castillo aimed for Millers nose and essentially caused the man to bleed, Miller performed a Chokehold on Castillo and the cop began to suffocate until he kicked Miller right in his sensitive area and then kicked him in the face. Miller fell next to the weapon and before Castillo could grab it, Miller pushed the cop to the edge, Castillo fell and now was hanging from the ledge, if nobody went to help him soon, he would surely die, the slippery edge made it much harder to grab as well.

"Sad it has to end this way" Miller said coldly with blood coming out of his nose and mouth, he placed his foot on the officers clinging hands.

Castillo tried everything to keep his hands in place but it was useless.

(Song end)

Meanwhile…

Linda found the cage keys right next to Blu's cage and she unlocked it, the male Blue macaw was reunited with his best friend, Jewel and the others. Linda gave her Macaw the biggest hug she could ever give him. The happy reunion was short lived when Tulio and Clyde immediately noticed Castillo's defeat at the hands of Miller. Blu's eyes widened, Miller was using his foot to smash Castillo's hands so he would fall. Linda noticed this from Blu and she immediately ran towards Castillo.

"No!" Linda screamed

"Linda wait! He has a gun!" Tulio warned

The shout from Linda caused Miller to ignore Castillo and turn around and go towards the vets; the man had completely lost it. Clyde now knew how his father really was, his eyebrows shifted at the sight of Castillo. Clyde flew towards his father at great speeds and started to peck him continuously, the others saw the intense courage this Red-crested Cardinal had, Blu understood what had to be done now, he joined in and helped Clyde harass Miller. Pedro and Nico, along with Rafael joined in as well. Jewel could only see how Miller was susceptible to birds, but why? She asked herself. The combined pecks by all the birds caused Miller to have marks all over his body, Clyde then pecked Miller's hand so he would let go of the gun, the man yelled in frustration. It was working! He was going into the same episode he did when Blu's mother pecked him so many years ago.

"I think its working!" Blu shouted

"Don't stop!" Clyde said

"This is for all the birds you tried to take away" Pedro shouted

"This is for the guy you shot inside the train!" Nico shouted

"This is for trying to hurt Linda and Tulio!" Blu shouted

"This is for everyone you killed and enjoyed killing!" Rafael shouted

(Song end)

Then, another shot rang out; the birds were immediately flown back by this. Blu was in Miller's direction. Everyone was shocked by the initial blast from the weapon once again. Linda and Tulio had their eyes set on the Glock 17. Linda gasped, the birds were vulnerable.

"I don't care about being rich anymore….or fame or any of that! You birds have caused enough distress for me! I will start with the one that had caused the most trouble for me…Let's see if the cop is around to save you know!" Miller said coldly.

Linda and Tulio saw Blu, he was in real trouble now, and they rushed towards him, only to have Miller shoot at the ground by their feet. Both Vets stopped moving.

"Don't Miller! He's an endangered species! He's the last of his kind…" Castillo shouted as he was hanging.

Miller had the gun pointed towards Blu, The Blue Macaw had no time to fly away and even if he did, Blu would have no chance to outmaneuver one of Rio de Janeiro's greatest poachers. Miller's accuracy was just too flawless; he aimed directly for the Macaws body. Everyone's eyes immediately widened, Clyde began to have yet another one of his trances.

"No! Please don't, Miller I beg you!" Linda shouted as she began to cry while Tulio held her back. Knowing full well, Miller would shoot her on sight.

"Shut up! Princess, you will be next on my list, I guarantee it!" Miller shouted

(Song: **Final fantasy 8 – wounded**)

Blu's life began to flash before his eyes, from the moment he was born on that familiar tree to when he met everyone he loved to the moment he fell in love with Jewel and finally, when he learned to fly. His main focus was Jewel, he looked towards her, she was crying excessively. He told her…

"Jewel…I love you…I have always loved you" Blu said softly, although he was a little far from her, she could still tell what he said and she responded.

"I know…I love you two, Blu!" Jewel shouted as she cried.

"No! Ill do anything! Please just leave them alone!" Linda shouted

"Am I to understand you will give your life to save them!" Miller asked

"Yes…I love them…As if they were my own children….take me instead" Linda said softly, she broke in tears

"Just…don't hurt him" Linda cried

"Why should I when I already have both of you where I want!" Miller concluded.

Miller was about to fire when Clyde snapped out of his trance and flew towards Blu, The chamber exploded and the bullet traveled very fast toward the bird. Clyde pushed Blu aside and then, the Red-crested Cardinal's eyes stared into nothingness. Everyone just stood silent as the rain and Miller's maniacal laughter were the dominant sounds at the sugar mill. Clyde just saved the macaws life at the price of his own being taken away by his own father. Blu and the others began to cry at the lifeless corpse that was once their friend, Blu began to regret all he ever said to the Red-crested Cardinal once again. Pedro was crying softly as well, he didn't want any of this to happen, he understood Clyde's sacrifice and seeing him give his life for Blu was beyond anyone could think he would have done, that is how far Clyde went to prove himself. But then, the cardinal's body began to show off a bright light that almost blinded everyone, Miller covered his eyes with his arm and when the light faded away, everyone gasped, Blu just stared in disbelief. It was Clyde, alive but in the form of his human self. He was wearing his old red sweater that read "crunch time" and blue jeans. Linda immediately recognized the nineteen year old boy, Tulio just had his mouth gaped. Miller was shocked and stood back, he almost dropped the Glock 17 and tried to talk but he was at a loss for words, the Cardinal was gone and in its place, was his son. Castillo was beginning to lose his grip, he shouted for help to Linda and Tulio.

"I…Im alive? But how?" Andrew asked

Andrew caught glimpse of Dionysus in the distance, he was smiling at the young boy, time ceased to exist for a few seconds. Blu seemed to have no affect with the area around him. In the end, only Dionysus, Andrew and Blu were still moving. Blu flew next to Linda, she was still, and her eyes were still locked on Andrew.

"Linda? Linda! What happened to you?" Blu asked

"Blu, you don't know how glad I am to see your okay" Andrew said to Blu, as the human said this; the Macaw remembered the face of the young boy, the one who almost shot Rafael a few weeks ago and almost took him away forever. Blu took several steps back from Andrew.

"No wait! Blu, it's me, Clyde! I just look different…this is me before I turned into a bird, remember? I…know you understand" Andrew said to the Blue Macaw

Blu automatically recognized the voice and confirmed that it indeed belonged to Clyde. The Blue Spix Macaw stopped walking backwards and began to walk towards the human. Andrew noticed the dramatic change in the environment around him, everything was no longer animated, and every detail and every texture was live action. Andrew still noticed the expressions on the Macaws face. The bird's amber eyes stared into the human's, he then spoke

"It is you…Clyde, I am so glad you are okay… listen, I am sorry for shouting at you…you did so much, trying to save us and you even saved my life, for that I am grateful to have you as a friend." Blu spoke out

This surprised Andrew, he expected not to understand the bird because he was no longer a bird himself.

"Blu…you can talk! I can understand you" Andrew said, the boy smiled, he was glad he kept his ability to talk to other animals but how was that possible?

"But how can you understand me when…you are human…" Blu asked

"It must be Dionysus…he must have something to do with this" Andrew said

_Correct, And I am proud of you, Andrew; you have proven yourself to everyone, your sacrifice to save Blu was the final thing I needed to know that you have changed. Sacrificing yourself for somebody shows me that you have compassion, thoughtfulness and a tremendous sense of caring for others._

"How did I survive the blast? I thought I died?" Andrew asked, the boy offered Blu his arm so the Macaw could climb unto his shoulder to rest.

_You did not survive…but I brought you back in your human form, isn't this what you wanted? Did I not keep my promise to you? You have proven yourself._

Andrew looked at Blu and the Macaw did the same, Andrew missed being a human, talking to other people, driving, doing many activities and he actually missed being in school. He tried walking to the God but he tripped and the Macaw fell but broke his fall by flying. Andrew wondered why and it was because he was not used to being a human anymore, his locomotive for two weeks was being a bird and now he couldn't even walk as a human, despite being one for 19 years, he didn't know it took only two weeks to forget you ever walked as a person, this made Andrew quite sad.

"How could I have forgotten to walk? I was only a bird for a few days" Andrew said to the God

_Humans are extremely adaptable with their surroundings; it does not take long to forget about living like a human._

"I don't get it, How can Clyde understand me if he's human again?" Blu asked

_He simply carried the characteristic with him, he will still be able to engage into a full conversation with everyone he knows, you see... his brain contains your language from when he was a bird and adapted it into his human form._

"Oh…that's great, but will Clyde ever be a bird again?" Blu asked

_That is for him to decide, he needs to think about which lifestyle suits him better_

Andrew noticed the body that was known to belong to Castillo, he tried to walk towards the God again and this time he was successful, to some extent.

"Is Castillo safe as well?" Andrew asked

_I am sorry; there is nothing I can do. But there is still time to save him_

"That's a lie, you're a GOD! You can help him like you did with Clyde" Blu said

_If I do, Father will surely be angry at me for disturbing the natural way of life_

"Oh come on, you turned Clyde into a bird and then revived him, now you are telling us you cannot help someone else? I find that absurd" Blu argued

_Forgive me please_

Clyde and Blu just stared at the God, Blu once again climbed into the boys shoulder.

"Well…what now?" Andrew asked

_Time will resume again and everything will go as it will, do what you can to save Castillo, take the birds back to the sanctuary and I shall meet with you again for your final judgment._

The God finished and Time slowly returned back to Normal, Dionysus disappeared and everyone around Andrew and Blu began to move slowly.

"Castillo!" Andrew shouted as he ran towards the cop to save him but he tripped a few times while getting to him, Blu flew towards Linda, everyone started to move faster.

Then time was at its normal speed. Miller noticed Andrew was right where Castillo was, his son was right in front of him a second ago, how did he get to Castillo so fast? Linda and the others also noticed this, it was like Blu and Andrew had superpowers or something! Castillo saw the young boy offer him his hand to save him.

"Who…are you?" Castillo asked

"Just grab my hand before it's too late" Andrew shouted

Castillo was saved and he lied on his back, he went to thank the mysterious boy but found him going to Miller.

"What are you doing kid? Hes dangerous" Castillo shouted to Andrew

(Song**: Prince of Egypt – Good bye brother**) **(From 0:00 to 1:44**)

Miller was just standing still, his hands were shaking. He just saw a bird turn into his son, nothing made sense anymore. He still had the gun on him.

"Dad…dad!" Andrew said

"Andrew…what are you?" Miller said, taking a few steps back

"I can explain, dad, you see I was…" Andrew tried to explain

"My son? The thing I killed was my son, how could…you be a…bird when…?" Miller asked

"Dad if you let me explain, then I can tell you how it all happened" Andrew insisted

"You are in league with them, is that it?" Miller asked

"What? No dad, look, I love you with all my heart but you have to listen to what I have to say about this" Andrew said.

"You are with them! I should have known…all those years I thought you loved me; instead you picked "their" side, all these people saying they love each other, they are just a pack of liars! Why son! Why! Wasn't it enough for you to run away to Rio and ignore all my calls?" Miller shouted

"Dad please! Let me say what I have to say!" Andrew retorted

"I loved you…as a father…I wanted the best for you" Miller began to cry a little.

Andrew knew this was lie, what his father had just said.

"Now that's…not true at all, you made me kill an innocent bird, then you kill mom and say it was her fault. Then you teach me to hate animals so I could be just like you. If you wanted the best for me, why didn't you let me choose who I wanted to be! I wanted to be a veterinarian, father!" Andrew argued, everyone around them felt for Andrew, Blu understood and he flew unto Andrews shoulder.

"You…you can't be my son…" Miller Said

"You're right…I'm not your son, I never wanted to be your son, you are a despicable, selfish man and you will never be my father." Andrew finished

Miller then aimed his gun towards his former son, and Andrew and Blu were in mortal danger now

"Then…you will die with the rest of these characters…" Miller finished

Andrew and Blu closed their eyes, everyone else was trembling, A lightning flashed with the sound of thunder. And then Castillo ran towards the six foot tall man and tackled him, Miller was at the edge of the sugar mill, there was no one to save him, he fell 100 feet at 70 miles per hour to his death. Castillo was lucky, he did not fall along with Miller, and he panted.

(Song end)

Everyone went to the edge and saw the lifeless body of Miller, Andrew moved his head back, and the father he has known for 19 years…was dead. Linda walked over to the boy and put her hand on his shoulder. Tulio went and did the same. Blu felt bad after seeing the event in front of him, he never liked seeing people die, it always hit him hard even thought Miller was an evil man. The sound of rain stopped and some clouds revealed some sunlight.

some minutes later =

Nigel began to wake up after the fight, he groaned but before he could react, he was put inside a cage. Blu flew to the cage and put and then he put his wing on the cage.

"Such irony don't you think" Blu said

"Let me out right now" Nigel demanded

"We will, we just need to find a place where you could think about what you did today" Blu finished.

Nigel began to get desperate

"Please…let me out I will do anything" Nigel pleaded

Blu just smirked and said

"Don't worry Nigel, we will find a home just for you" Blu finished

Jewel landed next to Nigel and said

"Now you know how it feels to have your freedom taken away from you" Jewel finsied

The Macaws left the Cockatoo by himself, Pedro and Nico flew by the bird and they mooned the Cockatoo. This made Nigel angry but Rafael landed next to the cage and said.

"You need to learn some manners, Nigel" Rafael said before flying off to the others.

Tulio grabbed the cage and took Nigel to the helicopter. The others soon followed but Castillo stayed behind to examine Miller.

"The Cardinal…was right where the gun fired…a bright light….and then a young boy? That's what Linda told me." Castillo said to himself

Castillo stared at the body before saying "I didn't mean to kill you…I lied about killing another man…I guess it's true now" Castillo said softly.

Castillo examined the body and found a picture of a young Andrew with a dead Blue Macaw.

"The kid…was right, but how could he have…been a…" Castillo's eyes widened and he ran towards the helicopter to meet with the others. Miller's corpse was then taken away in a body bag to the nearby helicopter.

(Day 20) (5:36 Pm) (Outside The sugar mill) (**5 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7****th**)

Then rain had stopped altogether and it was sunny once again, Linda and Tulio were talking about the birds back at the train.

"We have to get all the birds back to the sanctuary; the pilot said that there is not enough space for any of them." Tulio said

Linda then noticed Romero, he was under custody, and she walked over to the man and asked

"Can you help us get the birds back to Rio de janeiro, please?" Linda asked

"I can…but I demand these officers release me at once" Romero said

"As you wish, guys give him a break" Linda said

The officers removed the restraints and Romero got to his front seat in the train and made sure everything was okay.

Then an officer noticed the vets and went to Linda and Tulio.

"Listen, your son…took the smuggler to a hospital, he is being treated as we speak; if you want, we could take you to him." The officer asked.

The vets looked at each other then thought of something.

"You want to go With Blu, Linda? I don't mind, I will be with Fernando, we will be back at the house as soon as we can" Tulio said.

"Okay, just be careful, I love you, Tulio" Linda said while pulling Tulio into a kiss.

Castillo came running towards them, with the picture, he stopped for a breath for fresh air

"Castillo, what's wrong?" Tulio asked.

"I guess he was not lying after all" Castillo said while handing the picture to Linda.

"Listen Castillo, we need help getting these birds back to the sanctuary, you don't mind?" Tulio asked

"No, of course not, in fact I need to speak with this…Andrew" Castillo finished, getting into the train.

"You have the keys right?" Tulio asked while getting on the helicopter

"Yes…be careful Tulio" Linda finished, brandishing the keys.

"Good…I'll see you back at the sanctuary, bye Linda!" Tulio finished as the helicopter rose from the ground.

(10 minutes later)

The train was fully operational with newly fed fuel and was ready to head back to Rio; Romero was told that if he fully complied with the vets, all charges would be dropped for him. Andrew was sitting with the birds in the third compartment; the sun was setting rather quickly. Blu explained everything to the birds that was needed to know about Dionysus and Andrew, all of them could not believe it up until now.

"So you can understand every word that comes out of my mouth?" Pedro asked

"Yea…every word, Pedro" Andrew said

"That's awesome! I have never talked to a human directly" Nico said

"This is so cool, having a conversation with a human, it's just so cool" Rafael said

"Not as cool as learning how to fly, to be honest" Andrew said

"Yea…but, you are basically the only human ever to understand us, it's just so new to us" Blu said

"To be honest…I enjoyed being a bird and all but…I feel as though there are something's that I have to do as a human" Andrew said

"Like what? Other than killing birds like you used to do" Blu asked

"Well, stuff like, graduating…going to college, having a loving wife and having kids of my own. Enjoying stuff that my species were meant to enjoy like driving, snorkeling and so much more." Andrew explained

"But does it make you happy? Thinking about doing all of that?" Rafael asked

"It's just…a humans way of life, we just…have to enjoy what we love the most" Andrew answered

"Birds do the same thing, Andrew; but the thing that makes us who we are is what we love doing the most and what we make out of it" Rafael said

"I…it's just I have been taught to live as a human being for 19 years…I was born a human…It's so unnatural…to suddenly live as a bird for the rest of my life" Andrew said.

"Then answer this, Andrew; Where you more happy as a human being or as a bird?" Rafael asked

Andrew thought about it, he looked at all his friends, these birds were so nice to him and treated him equal. Birds had no racism, no politics or debates like what humans had, it was just, friendship.

"Well…I…was happier as…" Andrew said

"Just express yourself, Andrew; don't be embarrassed, tell us who you would rather be, Andrew or Clyde" Rafael said

Andrew looked at his friends again; they were all waiting for the final answer and he smiled as the sun shined in his brown eyes, when he was about to give them the answer, Castillo opened the compartment door and came in.

"Hey there Buckaroo, I would like to ask you a few questions about what happened earlier" Castillo said

Andrew looked at his friends, they took several steps back to allow Castillo to sit

"Where did you come from during that skirmish? Castillo asked

"I…saw you in trouble and I went to help" Andrew lied

"And what made you come to the sugar mill? Curiosity? Maybe the helicopters caught your attention" Castillo asked

"I…just found you guys at the right time at the right moment" Andrew said

"Listen kid, I saw it happen, just tell me how the hell you went from being a bird to turning into a human" Castillo demanded

"Why? You plan to sell me to the government for experimentation?" Andrew asked

"No, I just want to know, how, just how did this happen?" Castillo asked again

"You just want the fame is that it?" Andrew said

Castillo began to lose his temper

"No, I just…want…to…okay look, if scientists knew your ability, imagine how good could be delivered to the world." Castillo explained.

"Well…forget it, you can try to reveal my secret but I will never tell anyone else but Linda and Tulio." Andrew finished

Castillo stood up and went towards the door

"You can't hide it forever, one day, I will see it to myself that we will get this ability and make it useful for everyone else" Castillo finished as he left to the main compartment where Linda was.

(Song: **Metal slug – Hold you still, Vocal version**)

The birds flew next to Andrew again, the boy was staring into the orange, blue sky, the sun was just in its final stages for sinking.

"What now?" Jewel asked

"We will get back at the sanctuary and…hopefully everything will be fine afterwards" Blu said

Blu noticed the worried look on Andrews face, he was thinking about what Castillo said, was the cop bad now? Or did he really want to help, either way was it moral or not? Blu and Jewel hugged each other tightly and Pedro and Nico flew on Andrew's shoulder. Rafael sat next to Andrew's left leg.

"Hey…Clyde, I'm sorry about busting your leg a few weeks ago" Rafael apologized

"Don't worry about it, you did the right thing, it was to save Blu and if you had not done that, I would have never met you guys" Andrew finished.

"Have you decided who you want to be?" Rafael asked

"Yea…I have" Andrew said

Everyone turned their heads toward Andrew, they waited his answer

"Andrew….Clyde…Andrew…Clyde, lets cast a vote!" Andrew said

Everyone rolled their eyes to the humans comment.

"Who votes for Andrew?" Andrew asked

No one raised their wing to that comment

"And how about Clyde?" Andrew asked

Everyone automatically raised their wings

"I guess its Clyde then" Andrew finished.

Everyone cheered and turned to see the sun make its final plunge over the horizon.

Andrew was happy to have such friends, he felt as though all his problems finally ended, everyone enjoyed the sunset that was given to them. Castillo was talking to Linda in the main Compartment. Tulio arrived at the hospital to see Fernando with Armando, the vet smiled. All in all, it seemed as though it was a happy ending for everyone. But it was not over yet, Castillo began to become frustrated at everything, he began to think of a way to get Andrew to talk. The Sun finally disappeared and everyone enjoyed the rest of the trip back to Rio.


	15. Epilogue

**This is the final chapter; I had a great time writing this fic, three months in the making, most other stories I wrote did not make any sense what so ever but this one feels like a Don bluth film, sort of like Rockadooledo. I have planned a sequel but it is still under development so it may not come out any time soon and I am currently working on a Resident evil outbreak fanfic. Sequels tend to have less energy and plot then the first story so I am still deciding either to make a sequel or not. Many thanks to the readers who have read my story and enjoyed it. I felt as though Luis had been missing out on many fics so I decided to include him a little in my epilogue. Anyways it's been a swell three months writing this fic lol. Well, this is it, the final chapter to Rio: Forgotten memories. Some endings to the movie have been changed to accommodate the story better.**

**WARNING! = CHILD VIOLENCE IS DEPECITED IN THIS CHAPTER! IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CHILD ABUSE BEING DEPECITED IN THIS STORY, THEN DO NOT READ. =**

**Enjoy!**

Epilogue:

(Day 20) (7:28 Pm) (The train station) (**3 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

(Song**: Heavy rain – Scott Shelby theme**)

Two hours had passed since the incident in the sugar mill; with everything that had happened today, everybody was tired and wanted to go home after all that had happened. Linda was still tense, she could feel her hands shaking and she had a case of chills after what happened, she was sore in virtually every part of her body, then she could see a station coming into view, she sighed as she stood up. The train slowed down as it arrived at the train station with all the birds, the officers had a truck that was waiting to take the caged birds back to the sanctuary. Castillo was the first person to get out, he ordered the men to get all the birds and put them inside the truck. Linda went out of the train as well; Andrew and the birds quickly followed to see the broken gate and Tulio's car. It was sitting idle and Castillo gave Linda the keys.

"We will get the birds to the sanctuary as soon as we can, I won't be there though, I have some…work to finish, and I would rather get it done now so I can enjoy the rest of the night." Castillo finished, the lieutenant was a Night jack…in the sense that he loved working in the night shift, when he got involved in the investigation, the cop had to change shifts and he despised working during the day time, he felt as though he had more time to think during the night.

"I understand, Castillo; thank you for your help, we greatly appreciate it" Linda said, she opened the car and got inside the vehicle.

Castillo began to walk away until Linda shouted

"What about Armando…and us" Linda asked one final time

Castillo stopped and turned around

"All charges have been dropped, so do not worry, but you better not do anything like that again, or I won't be able to help you next time" Castillo finished as he turned back and began to walk away again before Linda said

"Listen…Castillo, You're a good cop, thank you for everything" Linda concluded

Castillo stopped once again and turned around and then said.

'No…I am just a man who is trying to…help everybody in this God forsaken world, there are many dangerous places out there, just imagine If I was not here with you today" Castillo said

"I guess now is not the time to ask, but how did you find us in the first place?" Linda asked

"I was sent to investigate the prison as I was told to and I found you're faces in the security cameras, I immediately gathered all the fingerprints and I searched all your data, quite interesting that you had ties with these smugglers and you were willing to go to jail for getting a single…bird out. I went to one of the smuggler's house and spoke to the Father, he understood how serious this was and he told me everything. Such irony, this was the most interesting case I was ever involved in…well, I need to go now, stay safe and don't let anyone you don't know into the sanctuary" Castillo finished as he walked away to a police car.

Linda did not hear the last sentence that Castillo said, his explanation of the jail incident was starting to form in her mind.

"But…how? Tulio turned off the power at the jail…unless" Linda tried to remember, it was right after she forced the baton into the security guards head

(Flashback)

_"Oh my god. What have I done?" Linda dropped the Baton and was shocked_

_Fernando went to check his pulse, and confirmed he was not dead. But it will indeed leave a huge mark on his head. Fernando grabbed the keys and sprinted towards Tipa's cell. Linda and the macaws soon followed_

_"You got it?" Tipa asked_

_"Hold on! Let me just" just as Fernando said that, the lights came back on again, the guards had found the main switch. But Fernando had successfully opened the Jail cell and Tipa was free. Linda had Blu in her arms and had signaled the others it was time to leave and to go find Tulio._

_Many of the security cameras in the facility suddenly began to rotate again and all of them had their eyes set on the perpetrators. _

(End of flashback)

"So…when the power came back on again…the cameras…Jesus…I knew it was a bad idea…" Linda said softly after recalling the events for herself.

Andrew became worried again at Castillo, after that talk inside the train, the young adult wondered if Castillo was really going to try something. Was he really that desperate to get everyone to notice what had happened? Linda noticed this and then said

"What's wrong Andrew?" Linda asked

"I…don't like that cop…not one bit" Andrew said

"He helped us out didn't he? He's just stressed out about all this, he killed a man after all, and what the others and I did at the jail was very wrong, I wish we had not done it, we were just trying to save one of the birds" Linda explained while she readjusted her glasses

"No…there's something he wants from me…" Andrew said

"What do you mean?" Linda asked

Linda turned towards the young adult

"What exactly does he want from you, you are thinking too much, Andrew" Linda said

"Y…yea, you're right, can we just get out of here please" Andrew finished

Then everybody suddenly heard yells of sorry

Pedro and Nico noticed all the clumsy cops that were carrying the cages and loading them into the truck, one cop accidently dropped a cage full of Conures, he said sorry at least five times in rapid order as he went to pick it up, he tripped as his shoes came into contact with the slippery mud. Castillo saw this and covered his face with his palm as he continued to walk to the police car.

"Idiot…" Castillo said under his breath

"You know, I don't get why these little bears have to be so weird, why do humans always have to recruit such weird officers?" Pedro asked

"Maybe because they don't care who they hire?" Nico said

"I swear this city has the clumsiest officers…" Pedro finished

Blu raised an eyebrow and looked at the cop, Castillo opened the police car door and he stared at Tulio's car

"I know I saw him talking to those birds…directly like a human conversation…the birds reacted to his every word…imagine that…people having that ability, Birds that would be able to send messages at long distances or maybe even help us in the fight against crime…What am I saying…Did that really come out of my mouth…I guess it did" Castillo thought

Castillo smirked and he closed the door of the car and left the scene.

(Song end)

(**Two hours ago, Sao Paulo, the hospital**)

The helicopter landed ontop a helipad on the hospital's roof, Tulio rushed into the building and went inside an elevator to go to the first floor lobby. He was still wet from the rain and the cool air from inside the Elevator made him shiver, the elevator doors suddenly shot open and Tulio quickly went to the receptionist and asked for Armando.

"Are you a member of the family?" The receptionist asked

"No, but I came to see if he is alright, I am a friend of his" Tulio said

"Please sigh here and I'll give you the Visitor's pass" The receptionist finished

Tulio confirmed and wrote his name, he was given a sticker to let every official know he was a visitor

"Third Floor, hallway 2, room 13" The receptionist concluded, she gave him a small paper, reminding him where the room was.

"Thank you" Tulio said running to the elevator again

Tulio kept pressing the elevator button rapidly until it opened and he rushed in, he almost knocked a doctor down in the process. He apologized and followed the directions carefully, he pressed the button 3 and when the elevator doors opened again, he ran to hallway 2 and he went down the row of rooms and finally found room 13. He slowly opened the door to reveal Fernando and Armando. The vet smiled, he was exhausted, but happy to see the smuggler was alright.

"I was beginning to worry; how are you feeling?" Tulio asked as he closed the door.

"Okay I guess…they said I should be fine but I gotta wear this damn cast for several weeks and my arm still hurts like hell" Armando said while sitting on his hospital bed, the constant beeping of the machine made him slightly annoyed.

"The pain will go away and you'll be able to use your arm again in no time!" Tulio said

Tulio sat down on a chair next to the door and then said

"Did they say when you would be able to leave yet?" Tulio asked

"Yea…they said we could leave whenever we were ready" Armando said

Tulio noticed his "son" sitting next to Armando, he never left the smugglers sight, Fernando wanted to make sure the smuggler was okay and this made Tulio very happy, he was glad his son cared for others. It made a small tear fall from his eye. Fernando noticed this and asked

"Tulio, why are you crying?" The young boy asked

'Because…I have a son that…has been given a great passion for helping others, even if they were ignorant fools who tried to harm others. I am glad to have you as my son…Fernando, you are truly a great son to have" Tulio said walking up to the boy

"You…you really mean it?" Fernando asked

"With all my heart, my son" Tulio said, he broke in tears as he brought his child into a hug; Armando was sort of softened by this action from Tulio.

"You know…I never had a father who hugged me or said he loved me…maybe that's why I was so ignorant after all these years…" Armando said while he lowered his head, Tulio and Fernando understood completely

"You and I are the same, my parents died when I was young…I don't even remember what happened…I had to learn to live on my own and survive on my own…there was no one for me to call, family…" Fernando explained

Tulio looked at Armando and then back to Fernando

"Let's go home, all of us" Tulio finished

(**Present time, Rio de Janeiro, Fifth Avenue, outside the Train station**)

Linda opened the glove box and found a phone she could use to call Tulio, The man always had a second phone just in case something like this ever happened. She dialed the number and waited for a response. The phone kept beeping and beeping until…

"Hello?" Tulio asked

"Hi…Tulio, glad to hear from you again, listen, where are…" Linda was interrupted.

"I am at the house; man…was the helicopter fast! Armando is using the couch at the moment if you don't mind and Tipa is here with us.

"Oh…great, I'll be right over but…why is Tipa there?" Linda asked.

"Well, Armando called him; he wanted his old buddy to come see him" Tulio explained

"I see…just keep an eye out for those two please…remember…they are still smugglers" Linda said

"Oh…don't worry, I am actually going to keep them occupied, I might give them jobs for the birds but don't worry! I have everything under control" Tulio said

"You are actually going to risk having the birds getting stolen again?" Linda asked

"Listen Linda, things changed; don't worry about it" Tulio finished

"Right…well, me and the others are on the way, we will see you shortly" Linda said

"Okay…see you there, Linda, I love you" Tulio concluded

"I love you to, Tulio" Linda finished as she hung up the phone.

"Hang on guys" Linda said, pushing the accelerator, the truck followed them to the Montero Residence.

(Day 20) (7:48 Pm) (The Montero residence) (**3 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

Twenty minutes later, Tulio's car stopped by the sanctuary. All the birds from the truck were unloaded and Linda and Andrew got out with the birds. Linda noticed another car that was parked nearby, maybe that was how Tulio and the others got back. Andrew helped Linda carry the birds that were inside the cages into the house; the entire place was a mess, shattered glass, broken furniture and spilled liquids on the floor. Armando was resting on the couch, which had seemed to survive the ordeal; he was wearing a cast for his arm and Tipa was with him. Tulio was cleaning the floor with a broom. Fernando was talking to Tipa and Armando. They noticed the sound of the door and immediately turned around to see the others with the birds.

"About time, it shouldn't take long to bring the house back to its former beauty" Tulio reassured

"Hey! Glad to see you guys but…who's this kid?" Tipa asked after seeing Andrew with Linda

"His name is Andrew; he is the son of the man…Miller…" Tulio did not finish

"Andrew? Oh wow…Andrew! It's been such a long time since I've seen you. God have you grown…Tulio told me everything and I can't believe it myself!" Tipa said

"You told him about!" Linda shouted before being interrupted

"Not everything, he just knows about Andrews's disappearance" Tulio reassured

"No I don't, I know all about him being a bird…and…" Tipa was interrupted by Armando

"Shut up!" Armando said

"Oh Linda…it's alright if they know, right guys!" Fernando asked

"Yea!" Tipa said

"Yea…whatever, I still think you guys are phonies…" Armando groaned

"You also told Fernando, didn't you?" Linda asked

"Yea…just them and Fernando, no one else" Tulio finished

All Linda did was set the birds down and went to get the others. Andrew laid his cage next to the other cages and explored the house once again; he found Tulio's office and saw the puzzle set. Blu and Pedro shortly followed him. Andrew sat down on Tulio's chair and began to form words with the puzzle, and then he heard Blu come in.

"Are you okay? Clyde?" Blu asked

"Sigh…I have been thinking…all the opportunities…I could be…a writer or an actor or even…a cop…so many talents I could have…All wasted" Andrew said softly

"I thought you…agreed to yourself you wanted to be one of us?" Blu asked

Pedro landed on the desk and said to the human

"Listen Clyde, you don't have to do this if you don't want to" Pedro said to the human

"I…just need more time to think about it" Andrew finished

"Okay…you know where to find us Clyde, just…think about everything that has happened when you were a bird. It was only two weeks being a bird but it was the happiest two weeks you ever had, right?" Blu said as he went towards the door, he signaled Pedro to follow.

"Well…It's your choice, Clyde…no one is forcing you to do this, but remember…Human or bird; you are still our friend and you will always be our friend no matter who you choose to be" Pedro finished as he followed Blu out the door of Tulio's office

Andrew mixed the letters until it formed…**Human**, the 19 year old boy sat down on Tulio's chair and lowered his head down and began to think about everything that has happened.

By now, all the birds were released back into the sanctuary and they were in the area of the jungle once again. Pedro and Nico were talking by the river while Blu and Jewel were back at their nest, Jewel began to feel distressed. Rafael reunited with his mate and children, Eva hugged Rafael tightly, she was obviously glad to see him return in one piece. The house looked almost spotless, with most of the trash gone now. Tulio walked up to the former smugglers and asked them.

"Do you two want jobs? We would be glad to give you guys some work around here but under one condition" Tulio said

"Anything!" Both of them said

"Don't get near the birds without seeing me or Linda, understand, I promise you both will be rewarded well if you comply with this rule." Tulio said

Both smugglers looked at each other then said

"We won't! You have our word!" Tipa said

"Yea! So when do we start?" Armando asked

"First thing in the morning, you guys will help us take care of the sick and the injured at the intensive care unit…but be sure to have Linda teach you the basics please…" Tulio said

"Okay! But can we stay a little longer! I want to tell Fernando more about what I did when I was his age!" Tipa said

'fine…but just a while longer" Tulio said

"awww come on!" Both Fernando and Tipa said

Tulio laughed and walked to his office. Then the phone rang and Linda went to get it, she picked up the phone.

"hello?" Linda said

"Yes…it's Lieutenant Castillo" Castillo said over the phone.

"Oh…Castillo, what's up?" Linda asked

The officer was in a phone booth, it was raining where he was, and he gripped the phone a little until he said

"Do…you want a bodyguard?" Castillo asked

"For the sanctuary? It would be nice to have one so this wouldn't happen again" Linda said

"Good…I have been assigned to be…your…bodyguard, for now, we don't want another incident like this to happen again" Castillo said

"That's great and I understand! It would be so much better if we had you as a bodyguard instead of Sylvio" Linda said

"Great…When do you want me to be there?" Castillo asked

"First thing in the morning sounds fine, you don't mind?" Linda asked

Castillo took out the photo of Andrew and then spoke into the phone.

"No…I don't mind at all, I won't let you down…but I must ask you…the Executive board wants to speak to Andrew…they want to ask questions to him about what exactly happened, you know…for the case" Castillo lied

Linda's eyes slowly widened but she lied to Castillo as well

"No…he's gone, he booked a flight to Los Angeles, I am sorry…he left so suddenly, we didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him" Linda lied

Castillo's hope was suddenly destroyed; he gripped the phone cable so much that it could have been split in half by the officer.

"Oh….so soon?…so sad…the executive board will not be happy to hear about this but nonetheless, I will see you tomorrow morning, Linda" Castillo said

"Okay…Castillo, take care" Linda finished

"You too" Castillo concluded as he hung up the phone, he suddenly burst into rage. The lieutenant punched the glass area of the booth and blood began to seep from his hand, Castillo cringed as he got out of the phone booth, the cop stopped by a light post and examined the damage done to his own hand, the lieutenant sighed.

"Look at myself…what am I doing? I'm becoming a monster…I should just forget about the boy…ill forget everything about it and…everything will be fine, I just need to forget…just forget and go on with my business." Castillo finished as he started to walk towards the horizon where rain could still be seen falling from the sky to the ground.

(Day 20) (8:02 Pm) (The Montero residence) (**3 hours remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

Andrew was silent…he was still sitting on the chair in the office, he was thinking about his parents. Before that tragedy involving his mother's death in Los Angeles a few years back, Andrew and his parents did some wonderful things together, they would do everything a normal family would, how could his father do such a thing…killing her just to escape prison? He had been with his mother for so many years but to kill her with no emotion or even thinking of the consequence shown to him seemed so wrong. And maybe by the time his mother died is when Andrew finally became the person he was before he met the others, although he did start hating birds before his mother's death, he began to fully execute his hatred after she died, he felt as though he needed to vent his frustrations on the animals.

"Oh mom…if I only knew what I was doing…if only I had refused to kill Blu's mother…then you would probably still be here with me today…"

Andrew then felt a gust of wind hit his face, the entire room began to spin, and Andrew felt sleepy as he tried desperately to stay up but he collapsed and his head rested on Tulio's desk.

Meanwhile…

Tulio and the others began to talk for a long time, mostly about what had happened, everyone knew that things would be different from now on. The birds were planning a party to celebrate their victory against the smugglers, but Pedro and Nico felt as though it would not be the same without Clyde, but they knew that this was his choice and not theirs. Meanwhile back at the house, Fernando picked up the trash bags that were laid around the house, he opened the front door and went outside with the bags and put them into the numerous trash cans around the area, then it started to rain in the area but in little bits but this still annoyed Fernando a lot as he slowly got drenched in the rain. The boy then suddenly heard low yelps coming from somewhere. He could not see who or what was in the darkness beyond the artificial light his house gave off.

"Hello? Who's there?" Fernando said

Then He noticed a shadow moving towards him, Fernando's heart raced, and then the shadow revealed to be a bulldog walking towards him, at first, Fernando thought the dog was going to attack him, that was until the dog begged for a place to stay by doing the "Dog face". This made Fernando sad and he walked up to the dog and gave him a little pat on the head, the dog then licked the boy's hand. Fernando's hand was covered in massive saliva and then the bulldog tackled him and started to lick his face. The young boy giggled as he asked the bulldog to get off him. Fernando showed no signs of disgust, although he did wipe the saliva off his face and hands.

"Come with me little guy, looks like you need a place to stay" Fernando finished, signaling the dog to follow inside, the bulldog's gleefully followed the young boy. As Fernando entered the house, everyone immediately got out of their seat to see the bulldog. A combination of Dirt from the dog's paws and heavy saliva that was dripping from its mouth was making a mess on the wooden floor of the house; this made Tulio angry and Linda scared. Linda had Cynophobia; she had a constant fear of dogs. She always thought that all dogs were disgusting with their slobber and unclean hygiene but it was their aggressive nature that scared her the most, when Linda's father wanted to buy her a dog as a birthday gift just after Blu was found by Linda, the dog immediately bit Linda's hand as she was searching for the perfect dog. So Linda's father, after seeing how she behaved with Blu, decided to keep the Blue Macaw and leave the dog for someone else. This bulldog was no exception; Linda stood on the couch and yelled.

"Fernando! What is a dog doing inside the house; he is making a mess to the floor!" Tulio said

"Get that thing out of the house, Fernando!" Linda shouted

"Oh come on guys…he needs a place to stay, he has been looking for a place to stay, maybe for a long time. Can we at least have him here for tonight?" Fernando asked

"Absolutely not! Take him back outside and make sure he stays out!" Linda retorted

"Oh come on! He looks tired and hungry!" Fernando said

"So? He's not our problem! Let him search somewhere else!" Linda shouted again

"Linda…" Tulio said

"But he might starve before he finds somewhere else to go, he might not make it another mile" Fernando said

"It sure looks like he could go another five miles looking for food, himself!" Linda retorted

"Linda, listen" Tulio asked Linda but she still ranted

Tipa and Armando both had their eyes shifting from Fernando to Linda and then back to Fernando in a repeated cycle.

"Just think about all the trouble he might have gotten himself into, just to get here" Fernando said

"I am sure that is why we do not want him inside the house! Now get him out of here!" Linda shouted once again

"Linda! Please listen!" Tulio shouted, stopping the argument.

"What is it Tulio" Linda retorted

"Fernando could be right…just remember…we might only take care of birds but it is our responsibility to help other animals in need" Tulio explained

"Tulio…I don't want it, running around and making a mess…please understand, you know I don't want dogs in this household" Linda said

"I understand but I also need you to understand that you and I made a promise" Tulio retorted

Linda sighed "Right…"

"And what was that promise again?" Tulio asked

"To…seek out animals in need…regardless of what kind they might be" Linda calmed down.

"Right…now I know you told me about your dog phobia but we have to at least do what we can to help this stray" Tulio said

"Okay…but we are only taking care of him, when he seems like he's ready, I want him out the front door and I do not want him near me…or the birds at any given time, understand?" Linda said

"Alright…understood, Fernando did you hear that? He gets nowhere near any of the birds…or Linda. If it does, it's bon voyage for the dog" Tulio finished

"Right! You can count on me" Fernando said

"I think I need to rest after all that…" Linda said as she walked to her bedroom but not before Tulio stopped her

"Look, he is wearing a collar…we will just find out who he belongs to, okay?" Tulio finished

"Alright…" Linda concluded

Then Tulio walked towards the smugglers and said.

"Okay Tipa and Armando, it's time for you to leave. It is getting late, be sure to be here early tomorrow" Tulio said while taking the former smugglers to the front door.

"Right, boss!" Tipa said gleefully

"Tipa…why do you always say that…" Armando retorted, he always hated how Tipa would always say Boss to every client he worked for; Marcel was his favorite, despite the lead smugglers rants towards his stupidity and his idea for painting the chickens blue and pretending they were the Blue Macaws.

"Why not?" Tipa retorted back.

Tulio rolled his eyes

"Enough please…Be here at 9 am, no later and the sooner you come, the better." Tulio finished as he closed the door, the smugglers called a taxi and they were taken back to the favela where they lived.

Tulio noticed that Fernando and the dog were probably in the boy's bedroom and Linda was resting in the master bedroom, he felt as though he needed a drink after all this, he searched the refrigerator and found some wine to pass the time, he sat down on the couch and slowly drank the refreshing alfrocheiro Preto.

**(3 hours later**)

Fernando had been searching for guides on how to take care of dogs and he had been trying to find out what would be most suitable for the bulldog. Tulio and Linda were sleeping, the wine was on the table and Tulio had passed out on the couch.

Fernando had the bulldog in his room, the boy was checking the dog's collar, and the inscriptions concluded its name.

"So your name is Luis huh, what happened to your owner? Don't tell me you ran away from your home, did you?" Fernando said, the dog just lowered his head, but then a sudden growl from the dog's stomach made Fernando laugh.

"Looks like you could go for some food right about now; stay here, I will get you something to eat" Fernando finished as he ran out to the kitchen.

Then a familiar scent hit the dogs nose…he swore he smelled it before, a few weeks ago…a few birds…one that smelled just like Rafael, he had not seen them since they arrived at Carnaval that night when they rescued Jewel. Luis decided to investigate, so he left Fernando's bedroom and followed the scents but he also left a trail of saliva in his wake.

He eventually made it to a door that leads "outside", he jumped and opened the door with his paws, and Luis entered the sanctuary unnoticed. That was true until Fernando was walking back to his room with a plate full of meat and the saliva made him slip and fall. The sound of the plate splitting in two alerted Tulio and Linda. Tulio got up from the couch and Linda came out of the bedroom to find Fernando and pieces of meat and a broken plate.

"Fernando? What happened?" Linda asked

"I don't know…I was walking fine until I slipped on…drool" Fernando said as he inspected the floor.

"Ugh…now this dog is walking all over the house now, I knew I shouldn't have said yes, Tulio!" Linda said

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it could open doors and cause havoc…but on the bright side…The trail of drool leads to…the sanctuary…wait…oh no" Tulio said

Linda's eyes widened

"Blu! And the birds! That dog is going to hurt them if we don't do something!" Linda shouted as she carefully ran to the sanctuary, Tulio and Fernando soon followed.

Meanwhile…

Luis was around the center of the area, there seemed to be a party going on, artificial lights were everywhere and birds were dancing on the trees. Luis spotted Rafael, his old friend. The bulldogs' eyes widened and he gleefully smiled when he yelled.

"Hey! A party and I was not invited?" Luis yelled

The music stopped and everyone looked towards the dog, several birds were talking silently but the dogs great sense of hearing could depict this perfectly.

"What is a dog doing in here?"

"What will these humans think of next?"

"He looks familiar" Pedro said

"Your right…he sort of looks like…" Nico did not finish

"Luis!" Rafael shouted as he flew down from a tree and hugged his friend, Luis did the same but the saliva produced from the bulldog drenched the toucan in contaminated drool but thankfully…Rafael was used to this and wiped it off.

"Where have you been in these past few weeks?" Luis asked as he let go of the toucan

"Well, I moved here after we saved Blu's mate, I don't know if you remember Blu but he was the Macaw that could not fly" Rafael explained, Luis thought until he said

"Oh…the one that was chained to the girl and you asked me to get rid of the chain for you?" Luis asked

"Yea, Blu and Jewel" Rafael said

"Yea…I remember them, so where are they?" Luis asked

"Not here at the moment, they didn't want to come 'cause they have been through a lot today" Rafael explained

"But hey, maybe at least they will say hi to you" Pedro said

"Yea, lets tell them" Nico finished as both of them flew towards the Blue Macaw's nest.

Blu and Jewel were not at the party, three odd shapes were lying on twigs inside the nest with Jewel sitting on them.

"Their beautiful…" Blu said, nudging Jewel

"Blu…I am not sure…if I can do this alone" Jewel said

"Don't worry, I'll be with you, whatever happens and I won't let anyone near them, you have my word" Blu finished, then Nico and Pedro came flying into the scene, exhausted but spoke out.

"Guys…You remember that dog…that was with us…a few weeks ago right?" Nico asked

"Guys! Not now…you see, we just had our…" Jewel said softly

Nico and Pedro examined the eggs that Jewel was incubating, they understood.

"Well…alright, but we should at least tell you who it is" Nico said

"Yea…its Luis, you know the dog that we ran into before Carnaval?" Pedro Asked

"You mean the one that literally drooled on me, then yes…" Jewel asked

"Well, he somehow got himself in the sanctuary" Pedro said

"Well good for him, I hate dogs" Jewel retorted

"Oh come on Jewel…he did help me get to Carnaval faster" Blu said

"Well fine…tell him we said hi…" Jewel said to the smaller birds.

"Alright, He will understand" Nico finished.

"Thanks guys" Blu concluded

The two birds nodded and flew back to the others.

Rafael saw Nico and Pedro but the Blue Macaw's were not with them

"Sorry…they are busy, Jewel just delivered her spawn" Nico explained

"Oh…well…okay, sorry Luis, maybe later" Rafael understood and spoke to Luis

"Just answer me this question then, did Blu finally learn to fly?" Luis asked

"Yes…he learned it by heart, after we left Carnaval" Rafael explained

Luis lowered his head

"I hate the fact you guys left me alone after Carnaval ended…I tried looking everywhere for you guys, I searched for weeks!" Luis explained

"But what about the old garage, what happened to it?" Rafael asked

"Pops had an accident a few days after Carnaval…he won't be out of the hospital for a few more weeks" Luis said

"I see…" Rafael said

"Wait…Who's that…Pops I mean" Pedro asked

"Luis's human owner, he had the garage for many years, although work sort of dragged out for him until he met Luis, Luis seemed to attract customers with his mood to dance all the time so both made the business bloom again for both Humans and animals alike." Rafael explained.

"And what about you…Rafie, tell me what you did after Carnaval?" Luis asked

"Well…a lot has happened; it will take a long time to explain but…" Rafael was interrupted by a scream

"Get away from them! I said get away!" Linda shouted as she ran towards them, Tulio and Fernando stopped her just in time before she could kick Luis, Tulio calmly grabbed Linda, the red haired woman searched for her companion but he was nowhere to be found but the others birds were near the dog.

"Let me go Tulio! He's going to hurt them!" Linda said

"I don't think so…I remember this dog now…" Tulio said

"What?" Linda asked

"It's the dog that Blu was riding during Carnaval…wasn't it?" Tulio retorted.

Linda stopped struggling, her eyes slowly widened as she remembered that day she had partially reunited with Blu during Carnaval.

_(Flashback)_

"_Blu! Where are you going!" Linda shouted for her friend_

_As she tried to jump down the float to chase after the bulldog and her companion, the performers stopped Linda and their struggle against her started to turn into a dance. The red haired woman accidently fell off the float but Tulio caught her in time._

"_Tulio! I saw Blu! He's riding a bulldog!" Linda shouted as she ran to Blu's direction _

"_What? A bulldog? How can that be possible?" Tulio asked_

"_By now Tulio, I would think that you would know that birds aren't dumb" Linda retorted_

"_oh yes, I know but why would a bird be riding a…" Tulio stopped midsentence_

_Tulio also noticed the bulldog for a split second but one performer, who was wearing a crocodile suit, hit the dog and caused both animals to disappear into the crowd of performers._

"_Where did he go!" Linda shouted_

"_I understand now…Linda, listen…I know we found Blu but he is probably leading us to the smugglers…" Tulio said_

"_But where? I don't see the smugglers…or Blu" Linda retorted_

"_Remember Fernando said something about a float the smugglers were going to use as a cover up, well…maybe Blu knows where it is" Tulio explained_

"_Hang on Blu!" Linda said as she ran faster_

_Then Linda spotted Blu, who was riding a skateboard, Linda and Tulio stopped and the red haired woman pointed towards the Blue Macaw_

"_There he is!" Linda shouted_

_Linda and Tulio noticed the Bulldog, who was eating the tail of a performers costume before they continued running towards the Spix._

_(End flashback)_

"He does look like him…but how did he…get here in the first place…" Linda said

"I don't know, maybe he remembers Blu…maybe his senses brought him here?" Tulio said

Linda looked at Pedro and the others with the dog.

"But I still don't trust it…" Linda finished

"I don't think he won't be much of a problem" Fernando said

Linda looked towards the boy

"Really? And that mess he made back inside the house?" Linda said

"Well…what if I take full responsibility for him?" Fernando asked

Tulio sighed as he let Linda go

"Listen Fernando…he already belongs to somebody…we can't commit to this dog, he can stay only until we have found his owner" Tulio said.

Fernando suddenly felt sad inside, he looked towards the dog…

"Please understand Fernando…" Tulio said to the boy

"I understand…" Fernando said

Tulio tried to lighten up the boy, he looked at the collar and it read, Luis

"But hey…maybe while we are searching for the owner, you and…Luis can take time to know each other more, how does that sound?"

"Yea! We can do so much together, like play catch…or Frisbee…maybe take long walks…I can teach him to play dead and speak!" Fernando gleefully said

Tulio turned towards Linda

"Don't worry…it will only be for a few days…he will be gone before you even know it" Tulio reassured

"Can we just get him away from the birds at least…I can't risk having it near them…for Blu's sake" Linda told Tulio

(Day 20) (11:32 Pm) (The Montero residence) (**20 minutes remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

(Song:** Final fantasy 9 soundtrack – Crystal world**)

Andrew was in a dark void; he could not see or hear anything. He felt shivers go up his spine; he started to run into the unknown, he tried to yell several times but to no avail, no sound seemed to be produced from his vocal chords. It seemed like hours had passed since he started running, no perspiration was produced from running so much but the shivers grew more intense as he heard a cry in the distance.

"Help me…" A young boy said

Andrew stopped completely and found some sort of spotlight on the boy, he stepped a little closer until the young boy took out a dead Blue Macaw from his jacket. Andrew leaped in fear and he took several steps back but the boy followed him.

"Dad…I didn't want to shoot it…" The boy said

"Get away from me…" Andrew said

"Dad…why did you make me do this? It didn't do anything to us…" The boy retorted

The boy disappeared and a familiar 6ft man stepped in the spotlight

"Andrew…I gave you everything…I loved you, why did you have to kill me, wasn't it enough losing your mother!" Miller said

"I didn't kill you dad…it was that cop…" Andrew retorted

"Why did you have to pick their side? You had everything you ever wanted for Christ sake!" Miller shouted

"You…your dead…you're not my father…and you don't exist…your all in my head." Andrew finished

Then everything seemed to twist and swell until the environment around Andrew was a rainforest, it was just like the one he and Blu saw in their vision.

"No…this can't all be happening again…and my head…still hurts…" Andrew clutched his hair and fell to his knees then he looked up at the sky.

"WHAT IS GOING ON! AM I DEAD OR SOMETHING!" Andrew shouted

(Song end)

(Song: **Gary Jules – Mad world**)

Then Andrew saw a disturbing scene in front of him, the young adult's child self was aiming the rifle at Blu's mother once again but this time after Miller's final yell of demand, the young boy dropped the rifle and opened Blu's cage.

"What…" Andrew said slowly

Then the environment quickly changed to Linda's home in Moose Lake, this was a younger version of the red haired woman and she appeared to have a huge bite mark on her hand.

"Listen Linda…I am sorry that dog didn't work out…maybe you might want a hamster…or a bird?" The older man said

"No dad! I don't want anything! You saw what that thing did to me, what makes you think a bird is not going to do the same!" Young Linda began to cry as she ran upstairs.

"Linda! I am sorry…please come back" Her father shouted as he ran upstairs for her

Once again the scene changed to Tulio's facility before Linda and Tulio moved to the Blu Bird Sanctuary. Andrew saw Tulio had Jewel on a table, a woman walked right next to Tulio and said.

"Sir…she is too unpredictable…and we haven't found a male specimen, I advise we clip her wings until we can find her a suitable mate, she tried to escape last night again." The woman said

"Yes…you're right, she already injured five of my staff members and we can't afford to lose her…once you have her clipped, be sure to put her in the intensive care unit." Tulio finished

"Yes, Tulio" The woman concluded

In the distance a sulfur cockatoo could be seen

Andrew heard cries next door; it was Jewel yelling as her ability of flight was being taken away from her

Then the lights suddenly shut off and the entire place went silent

Andrew began to have shivers again, he tried to find an exit until he heard struggling, and it was Fernando with Jewel in the bag.

"It's that kid…the one who lives with Linda and Tulio but what is he doing?" Andrew asked himself.

Then once again, the scene shifted and this time, it was the hideout of the smugglers, Jewel was alone, unaware that she could easily open the cage with her beak…but without Blu to demonstrate this, she is left to be sold to the smugglers. When Andrew tried to help her, a door opened and a familiar man walked in with a cockatoo on his shoulder.

"The last Blu Macaw…this one will make all of us rich..." Marcel finished as he grabbed Jewels cage and took her to a truck, Andrew could only see for a split second, Jewels face as though she was waiting for rescue but to no avail.

Then another shift in time and space brought Andrew to a cemetery, a slightly younger Miller was walking up to a grave with somebody. He had flowers in his hand and he laid it to rest on a small grave, the person next to miller, who was a woman, was crying which made Andrew curious, this woman was his mother! She was alive! But where was he at? Maybe in the car, waiting for his parents to return?

"I'm sorry…Miller, it wasn't your fault…but we will start a new life together…somewhere else…away from all this corruption, we will forget what happened." Andrews's mother said

"How can I forget that my own son is dead…he shot himself…how could I ever forget that moment I saw him pointing my rifle at his own head…" Miller said

"He is in a better place now…make no mistake about it…" Andrews's mother said

"Yes…" Miller finished as he walked away with his wife.

Andrew looked at his grave in despair

HERE LIES ANDREW MILLER, Son of Jackson Miller and Monica Miller

A loving son who had countless potential for success

September 17 1992 – November 12 1996

"No…this can't be happening right now…it's like some twisted…Christmas carol!" Andrew shouted

(Song end)

Then one final time, the environment shifted but this time, taking place at the same place the whole thing began in, Andrew was back at Blu's birthplace.

"You shouldn't have done that Andrew…give me the rifle" Miller said

"Dad…I'm sorry I couldn't" young Andrew said

"You let them…go away, Andrew but it's okay, just give me the rifle" Miller said softly

Young Andrew slowly approached his father and gave him the rifle.

"Now Andrew…do you know what happens when I lose my temper…" Miller asked

"You…get mad?" young Andrew said softly

"Worse…my blood pressure goes out of control…and then my temper boils to the point I do something about it…but you passed that point, Andrew…and you are doing to learn…to NEVER EVER DISOBEY ME!" Miller shouted as he hit his son with his rifle, the young child was bleeding now and he tried to crawl away.

"Dad…im sorry…" young Andrew said

"YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEART ATTACK, ANDREW! I LOVED YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO! YOU WENT AGAINST ME AND YOU HELPED THOSE THINGS ESCAPE! YOU ARE NEVER…LEAVING THIS PLACE, AGAIN!" Miller aimed his gun at his own child

"Dad! What are you doing! Stop it!" young Andrew said

"YOU ARE NOT MY SON! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! WELL, IM MAKING SURE YOU WONT DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN" Miller shouted as he discharged his rifle

Everything went black afterwards

(Song: World Trade Center Soundtrack - Piano Theme)

Andrew was crying…everything that just happened slapped him in the face to the point he fell to his knees again and began to pray, it was the first time he ever prayed for some sort of salvation. Then the same spotlight shined on Andrew this time. A person stepped into the spotlight as well, it revealed to be Dionysus. Andrew stopped praying and stood up to confront the God.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Andrew asked the God

"_I'm not doing anything, it's all your memories that are inside your head, you are being judged for what has happened, and you're actions that day when you were young set in motion everything that has happened_" Dionysus explained

"So all those visions…were because of me?" Andrew asked the God

"_Had you not chose to shoot Blu's mother and leave with your father and take Blu away, then everything would have been fine for the Blue Macaw, but the others would have suffered that consequence. Linda would have never met Blu and made him who he is today, Jewel would still have been violent toward humans and never learn to trust them and she would have been eventually caught by the smugglers and you, yourself would have suffered a fate worse than any of those I just said_." Dionysus explained

"So does that make me a good guy for shooting Blu's mother?" Andrew shouted

"_No, but now you know how things went after you shot Blu's mother, if you were given a choice to go back through time and save her, would you? Despite all those visions that happened? Would you risk it? Is it for the better? Ask yourself those questions, young one_" Dionysus said

"I would do anything to bring her back, Blu loves her with all his heart…and it's a pain for everybody to see him like this" Andrew said

"_But despite his own mother's death because of you, you decided to save him and the other birds; Blu knows you risked your own life to save him, unfortunately, I cannot bring her back, unless.._" Dionysus said

Andrew lifted his head toward the God.

"Unless what…" Andrew retorted

"Unless you _Come with me and she will take your place in the real world or remain in the real world but without the ability to talk to any of your friends again but she will be alive and will reunite with Blu, this is the final test…choose wisely_" Dionysus said

Andrew became confused

"I did everything I said you told me to do…I sacrificed myself for him, wasn't that enough? I am tired of this "test"" Andrew retorted

"_Yes…I saw how you saved Blu, but was that true sacrifice_?" Dionysus asked

Andrew lowered his head

"To be honest…I don't think…it will be the same, I know you won't bring her back because…it won't be same…Blu won't believe it himself, even if he told me about his mother being stuffed, everything has to go its own way, there are certain order to things and you can't mess with them, I could have saved Blu's mother but the event already happened and it should be left alone, I may have turned into a bird but you can't just bring back somebody, because then everybody will want to be resurrected. It won't be the same if she comes back. If it's one thing I learned in the past twenty days, it's what Pedro said to me, just because you lose everything you love does not mean you cannot start all over again" Andrew said

The God simply twisted his white beard while listening

"_Interesting…you have learned much, but where did that speech come from_..." Dionysus asked

"It came from my heart…and I am here to tell you, I want to see them again…I decided to stay with them, this place is different…Rio is somewhere I feel like I belong…it's always been my home…and it always will be, I don't care what happens to me…as long as I am with my friends is what matters" Andrew said

(Song end)

(Song: **Artificial intelligence – The Reunion/Where dreams are born**)

The God kneeled down to touch Andrew's shoulder

"_Giving up your humanity for freedom, what an interesting person you are, Andrew, but I want to know what your interpretation of Freedom is_." Dionysus said

"I think…every person…Human or animal…have the freedom to choose who they want to be…I am no exception and I already made my choice." Andrew finished

"_So you're willing to give up so many years of life you could have as a human and all the opportunities that were given to you…just to be a bird_?" Dionysus asked

"You are so stubborn…Dionysus, do you know that?" Andrew replied

The God let go of the young adults shoulders and stood up…he was bigger than before, Dionysus was about ten feet tall, with the reply that Andrew gave to him; Dionysus could have easily made Andrew into a pancake. The God always had trouble with humans; all his "life" he had somewhat a hatred for human nature, regardless, Andrew was the first person to convince Dionysus that he was different.

"All my life, I sort of had a connection with Rio…and all the birds, the first time I saw them dancing in those trees when I was young…something inside me woke up…if my father had never gotten me into killing them I would have stayed in the jungle with the birds! So when I heard all the birds dancing and singing again in the sanctuary…the same feeling I had happened again…and my old self woke up once more, I feel as though I always wanted to be a bird…it might sound crazy but…I feel much more happier as one…I feel a lot more free and I have so many friends…maybe I wasn't supposed to be born a human in the first place…maybe I was supposed to be a bird, nevertheless…you know who I want to be…" Andrew said

The spotlight dimmed on Andrew and then the void shifted back towards Tulio's office, Andrew woke up

"Just…a dream?" Andrew said to himself as he stood up and held a hand to his head.

"_No Andrew, your wish to be one of them has been accepted…you have a few minutes left, why don't you tell Linda and Tulio everything first" _Dionysus voice said

Andrew stood up from the chair and ran towards the hallway, he searched the house for everybody but could not find them…until he discovered the trail of saliva on the floor that lead to a familiar door. Andrew approached the door and opened it; he followed the trails that lead to the sanctuary. Linda and Tulio just finished talking before noticing the now awake young adult. The birds also noticed him, along with the bulldog; Luis gave somewhat of a confused look at Andrew.

(Day 20) (11:37 Pm) (The Montero residence) (**5 minutes remaining**) (**Thursday April 7th**)

"Oh…Andrew, you're awake, what's wrong?" Tulio asked

"Listen to me…both of you, I don't have much time left" Andrew said

"What happened…what do you mean, did something happen to you?" Linda asked

"Well…tobehonest…alotdidhappen…Iwasturnedintoabird…againstmyownwill," Andrew said in a haste

"Slow down Andrew, you sound like someone who just drank Cuban coffee." Linda said

"Okay…listen, after I tried to take Blu away from you, a God by the name Dionysus appeared and punished me for almost killing yet another bird…his name is Rafael and he's a toucan…but back to the explanation, Rafael broke my leg just before I transformed…so that explained how my leg was aggravated for so long to you guys…and how the connections between Censario..This is the name you gave me; who had a similar broken leg as I did. I made friends with a lot of birds during my recovery…and eventually I learned how to fly…afterwards I learned I killed Blu's mother which caused me to run away and then every bird was captured by the smugglers…and my father, I realize what I had to do and I rushed to save Blu but he was taken away. Then I found you and Tulio and I showed you guys who I was. We went to save Blu and the others and we ended up at the sugar mill, is that enough?" Andrew explained

Linda and Tulio looked at each other then back to Andrew.

"Yea…that's everything, we did see Censario turn into you but…where did this God come from anyways and why would he turn you into a bird, Andrew?" Linda asked

"Because I had no pity for anybody…you could say I was evil but I simply became the very thing I hated but then I soon found out it was the very thing I wanted to be all this time" Andrew said

"Well…your interpretation of Censario is accurate…and I can't see why I cannot believe your story but why are you telling us this now?" Linda retorted

"Dionysus is turning me back into a bird soon…and its going to be for good, I won't be a human again and communicating to you will be much harder when the deed is done" Andrew said

Tulio stepped into the conversation again

"Stop…just stop, this is too much, it's like…a Science fiction b movie…or something" Tulio said

"Well…he did show you those letters that said "I am Andrew" Fernando said

"Right…but, this all seems so impossible…a human turning into a bird? By a God? Out of all the people in this world that have done much worse things…it had to be Andrew?" Tulio said

"Maybe it wasn't just me, maybe there are other people like me" Andrew said

_There are other people like you._

_(Song end)_

A sudden whirlwind made everyone hang on to something, then Dionysus appeared in front of everybody by the door, he went down the porch steps and greeted the two veterinarians.

_I did not think I would show my face to all of you today…but it's been a while since I have made a public appearance_

Everyone was still, Andrew was right, Tulio and Linda were frozen and the birds flew away to the trees, the God noticed this and spoke out

_No, please…I mean you all no harm; I came to explain all that has happened in the past few days._

All the birds slowly returned back to the ground

"So…you're Dionysus?" Linda asked

_Yes, I am the God that set everything in motion for Andrew, but he made all the choices and those choices affected all of you_

"In what sense?" Tulio asked

_Everything would have been different for all of you, as you both already know, Andrew and his Father shipped Blu to Minnesota…and that is how Blu met you, Linda. Imagine if he had not killed Blu's mother, everything would have turned out very bad for all of you_

"I see…and what about Andrew stealing Blu and his transformation?" Tulio asked

_He chose to steal Blu and I immediately took action, I warned Andrew before of a consequence, he did not listen to me. But His choice to change his heart and dance with the others caused him to believe he belonged here. His choice to save Blu affected everyone, had I not intervened then Miller would have killed all of you, Andrew's father was not always who he was._

"What do you mean…Dionysus?" Andrew asked

_I was going to punish your father….he was just like you, when he saw you transform back into a human, he knew it was me._

"But how?" Andrew asked again

_It was a few days after your mother died, I confronted your father…and I temporarily turned his hands into a deer's hooves, when he asked for forgiveness, I turned him back…and he stopped smuggling for good…although he did continue hunting, I monitored his actions for a while. He eventually only hunted deer during hunting season. But when he returned to Rio, something inside him woke up again, his killing nature returned and so did his lust for money. Dionysus explained_

"That would explain why I didn't see him that particular day…I was hungry…nobody was home but me" Andrew said

Linda walked towards the God

"I read books about you…Dionysus….the God of nature, you turned other people into snakes…dolphins…and other things, I can see why" Linda said

_Some the leaders of the world, Neo…Mao…Hitler…and Stalin, were brutal and caused the deaths of many people in cold blood. They were all punished by me, and they never returned to their human form…for all the pain they have caused, they became immortal and forever roam the earth, regretting for all they done…especially Hitler, he told me it was because of ideology, can you believe that, the man killed 6 million people in cold blood before realizing his actions many years after his transformation. It took him so long just to figure out his actions were all for nothing._

"Jesus Christ…" Linda said softly

_So I can assure you…many people who killed…or have done so many wrong things…have been transformed into animals themselves_

"But you said…I was the first person since Greek times to be turned into an animal…" Andrew retorted

"_I lied"_ Dionysus said

Everyone looked at each other

_What…Do you honestly think an all mighty powerful God like myself can't make a lie?_

"Well…" Andrew said

_Is there something else you need to ask me before we proceed? _Dionysus retorted

"Blu…" Andrew said

"What?" Linda asked

"_What about Blu?" The God asked_

"He needs to know…" Andrew said

"_About his mother?" Dionysus asked_

"About everything, please Linda…call him for me please" Andrew said

"….Alright, stay here" Linda said as she walked across a trail towards Blu's secluded nest.

Everyone waited and then they heard footsteps and the flapping of wings, Blu and Linda arrived but where was Jewel? She was always with him…

"Where's Jewel?" Andrew asked

"Jewel laid some eggs, she won't be going out of the nest for a while" Linda said

"So, you mean…" Andrew said

"Their species should grow in numbers soon…we counted three eggs so we think they should be fine" Tulio said

Andrew looked at Blu and kneeled down towards him

"What is it Andrew?" Blu asked

"Listen Blu, it's about your mother, I'm sorry for what I did…and I hope you understand, I didn't give my life to become human again…I did it because you are my friend" Andrew said

"I do, I understood how far you went to redeem yourself, I knew how much you wanted to help us and I am glad you did" Blu said

Andrew smiled

"I finally Decided who I want to be" Andrew said

"About time…you had us all worried" Blu laughed

But then Blu noticed Dionysus

"Can they see him?" Blu asked

"Yea" Andrew finished

Linda was awe struck, she walked up to Blu

"Blu…your talking…your actually talking…" Linda walked up to her companion

"What…how can that be?" Andrew said

_My influence with you affected everyone in here, but this communication will not last for long_

Linda picked up Blu and held him in her arms

"I can't believe this is actually happening…Blu, your talking like any normal person" Linda said

"Really? All this time I thought you understood everything I was saying…because you always responded...Unlike Tulio…he would always act like an idiot when he talked to me" Blu said

"Hmm…act like an idiot? But you always reacted like I was communicating with you…" Tulio said

"Yea…you were just acting like a total imbecile, everything you said about shaking your tail feathers and referring my dominance was just stupid" Blu explained

"Oh…well I have to say that this is amazing at least! Humans and birds…talking to each other! Something you don't see everyday" Tulio said

Rafael flew down from a tree; he landed and went to talk to Linda and Tulio

"Hey you guys…thanks for helping me and Eva out, we greatly appreciate it" Rafael said

"Um…you're welcome…Mr.…." Linda was interrupted

"Please…call me Rafael" The toucan said

Tulio inspected Rafael

"You…know, he sounds like George Lopez…that stand up comedian…ever heard of him?" Tulio asked

"Yea…he has his own show and everything…your right, he does sound like him…funny" Linda concluded

"I was thinking he was an actor or something…" Rafael said

"Well…he's an actor and a standup comedian…" Tulio concluded

Rafael looked up towards Blu and said

"This is pretty cool, they can actually hear what we are saying" Rafael said

Linda let Blu go and kneeled down to talk to him

"You don't know how happy I am to be talking with you, Blu" Linda said

"I know….but there's something I always told you…I don't know if you depicted it correctly…but…I would always say something after we did our signature gesture to each other, it was "together forever" Blu said

"Silly…did you get that from Rick Astley that day we were on YouTube back at Minnesota?" Linda asked

"Yea…I couldn't think of anything else…but do you like it?" Blu said

"Yea…of course I like it, Blu" Linda said as she hugged her Blue Macaw.

Then both did their gesture they have been doing for so long

"pow.."

"pow.."

Both said after doing their gesture

"Together forever…" Linda said

Blu smiled

Pedro and Nico flew up towards Linda

"Hey Linda! Blu told us a lot about you, you are really so nice to us" Pedro said

"Yea, he told us about the dog thing as well, do you really hate dogs that much? I don't mind to be honest, I just don't like their slobber ya know" Nico said

"No…I don't but…things change and I guess I don't mind anymore…" Linda said

"That's cool, hey! You should totally hear one of our songs!" Pedro said

"Yea! It'll knock your socks off!" Nico agreed

Linda looked towards Blu

"Who are they?" Linda asked

"Pedro and Nico" Blu concluded

"You guys have a song? That's interesting…can we hear it soon?"Tulio asked

Both birds nodded as they got everyone together.

Dionysus walked up to Andrew

_Its time…_

"Alright" Andrew finished

_Follow me into the forest_

Andrew and the others followed until they saw the cliff where Blu and Clyde had their confrontation, everyone climbed the cliff and became confused

"Why here?" Linda asked

"He wanted freedom, so this was his first glimpse of it I guess" Tulio said

"This is where I taught Andrew to fly…" Blu said

"I remember looking from the tower…you two were so happy" Linda said

If someone would jump off this cliff, they would surely fall fifty feet to the ground, but Andrew was not scared, he actually told everyone to give him some space.

"Andrew…what the hell are you doing…your crazy!" Tulio and Linda shouted

"Calm down guys…Before I do this…I want you guys to know…I am sorry for what I have done…and I hope you guys will understand that this is my home, don't stop me from doing this…I have to do it if I want to be free" Andrew said

Then Tulio turned towards the young adult; he remembered what Andrew said many days ago

"So I guess you won't be an Ornithologist, right?" Tulio asked

"Sorry Tulio, not a chance" Andrew said

"Well I understand, it's been a pleasure speaking with you, Andrew" Tulio finished

Andrew turned to face Linda

(Song: **Soarin' Over California/ Soarin' Soundtrack**)

"Linda…forgive me for trying to steal Blu from you, I was a real jerk before I met everyone here, and I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, please forgive me" Andrew asked

Linda was still but she made a soft smile as she brought Andrew into a hug…Fernando did the same followed by Tulio, Andrew caught a glimpse of Blu, who was smiling at the young adult. The Humans all let go and Andrew walked to the center of the Clift with everyone watching his every move. He felt the wind blow on his pink skin and the moon's light invade his body; his clothing reacted to every movement by the force. With one long breath, he ran toward the edge of the cliff and jumped, Luis almost had a heart attack along with Pedro. Everyone gasped but the God lifted a hand and with one bright burst of light, in the place of Andrew was Clyde. The Red Crested Cardinal flapped his wings, remembering how the locomotive in birds worked. The other birds soon followed in flight and were right behind him. Blu flew right next to him and they all flew high into the sky, Andrew felt a surge of freedom as he flew into the clouds. The stars were out and the lights of Rio de Janeiro gave out an impressive sight for all the birds. Jewel heard the yells and she looked out from her nest to see all of them flying, she softly smiled. Blu noticed a bright light next to Dionysus…it was his Mother, she was smiling at him, he understood and returned the smile before taking off from the ground and flew towards Clyde.

"Welcome back Clyde" Blu said

"It's great to be back" Clyde retorted

"Whooho! He's back with the gang!" Pedro shouted

"You can say that again!" Nico agreed

"Glad to have you back, Clyde" Rafael said

"You guys are the best, thank you for everything" Clyde said

They continued to fly in the sky while Linda and Tulio, along with Fernando, all hugged each other.

"Do you think he regrets it?" Tulio asked

"No…why would he? It's something he wanted" Linda said

"I guess I don't have to go to bed after all this?" Fernando asked

"No, Fernando, you have school tomorrow, remember?" Linda said

"Oh please! Just this night!" Fernando begged

"Fine, but just this night…after all, you're going to be the one who cleans after Luis" Linda finished

"Oh…right" Fernando Finished as he examined all the saliva that the bulldog left behind.

Then, the five birds landed at the cliff, but something bothered them, Dionysus walked toward them

(Song end)

"_They can still understand you; they want to listen to your song" Dionysus_ said

"Alright! Well, you guys clap your hands and watch us do what we love most!" Pedro shouted

**(Hot wings)**

"**Party in the Ipanema, baby!" **Nicosaid

**I wanna party **

**I wanna samba **

**I wanna party **

**I wanna samba**

**I wanna party and live my life**

**(Live my life!) **

**I wanna party and Fly **

**(Party!)**

**(Hey!) Imma fly, fly just like the birds**

**(****Pedro****: But chu are a bird) **

**Oh yea... that's right so let me fly just like a rocket then**

**(****Pedro:**** Ok)**

**Fly so high were I need to come down for oxygen **

**(Hey!) **

**Hey cause once we start it baby Aint no Aint No stopping then**

**(Hey!)**

**Cause I just wanna live my life and party**

**(Hey!)**

**All I want is to be free and rock my body**

The humans were enthralled to dance along which is what they did, Luis also joined in the fun.

**(Pedro: Ok**!)

**And Around the World and I Wanna live my life**

**In Rio**

**Cause of Rio**

**Cause of Rio**

**Rio Lajula!**

**I wanna party (party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (party)**

**And fly! **

"Wow this is amazing!" Linda said

"I've never seen anything like it" Tulio agreed

Meanwhile during the song, Pedro flew next to Clyde and said

"Join in man, you can sing in my part!" Pedro said

"Well okay, if I still remember the song

**Pedro and Clyde****: I'm that Samba, Samba Master**

**Master Master Master Master**

**Who Shouts Out?**

**Imma get your blaster, blaster **

**Blaster, blaster, blaster **

**You dance fast but I dance faster**

**Faster, faster, faster, faster **

Then Blu flew to his nest to find Jewel, the Female macaw spoke out

"Listen Blu…I can't leave" Jewel said

"Don't worry, we can sing the duet right here" Blu reassure

**You're too slow**

**You need to catch up**

**(You can Dance, and dance, but I) **

**I wanna party (Party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (party)**

**I wanna Samba (Party)**

**I wanna party (Party) and live my life (my life) **

**I wanna party (Party) **

**And fly!**

Then, the humans saw Blu and Jewel by their nest; they were dancing in the air until.

**Nico****: Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey**

**Jewel****: lly y ally yyall yyall aaa aaaa**

**Lly y ally ya llyy ally ally yall yally yally yall yaaa**

**Nico****: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey**

**Pedro and Clyde****: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey **

**Pedro, Nico and Clyde****: Hey, hey, hey, hey**

Applause could be heard from everywhere, Clyde smiled at his friends, Dionysus also smiled and he disappeared, proud of the Red- crested Cardinal, the birds eventually were unable to communicate with the humans anymore, but it didn't matter, they were all close to each other like a family, Clyde promised some of the birds to teach them some English words to communicate to Linda and Tulio eventually. 2 weeks passed; eventually Blu's offspring hatched from their confines and Jewel was blessed with three wonderful children. One of the children was light blue, like Jewel, the others were dark blue like their father. Tulio and Linda got married in igreja socorrista evangélica church and Fernando official became a sibling to the Montero family. Castillo kept close to the family, offering protection against any possible threat to the birds. Tipa and Armando worked in the sanctuary with the others and learned to love birds like them, they were eventually given the freedom to see the birds inside the sanctuary without Linda's supervision. Linda and Tulio could not find the owner of Luis so they adopted him for now. Tipa's father, Diego, sold his stuffed animals for money and bought an aviary to take care of birds, Tipa was happy to see this happen. But one stuffed animal was asked to be burned, Linda told Diego this…seeing as she needed to be laid to rest, Diego complied and burned Blu's stuffed mother. Armando's arm eventually healed and Tipa became close with Fernando, forming somewhat of a brotherhood.

(**1 month later**)

The sanctuary was alive with song once again; Golden Conures, spoonbills, and macaws of all shapes and sizes were singing and dancing.

**All the birds of the feather, do what we love most of all**

**(Ahhh)**

**Moon and the stars, sun and guitars, that's why we love Carnaval**

Jewel could be seen, flying past some Keel – billed toucans and Toco touans and some Macaws, Blu was following her

**Loving our life in the jungle, everything's wild and free**

Then Blu joined in the song, and three young Blue Spix Macaws could be seen

**Never alone cause this is our home**

Then their children flew next to them and Jewel joined in once again followed by some other birds

**Magic can happen for real, in Rio**

**All by itself**

**(Itself)**

Then the birds flew and sat on a branch by the river and continued

**You can't see it coming; you can't find it anywhere else**

Then Pedro, followed by Clyde, Interrupted the Macaws and started singing themselves

**Pedro**: **I'm a Kako wera Kinga Kinga Kinga Kinga** (**Kinga**!)

**Clyde**: **Birds like me, cause I'm a hot winga**

**Pedro****: there's your hot winga **(**Awk**!)

Then the two birds flew by a branch by Nico

**Nico**: **Here everybody loves Samba**

**Pedro and Clyde****: I like the samba**

Pedro pointed towards Rafael, who was with Eva and their children in a nest, both Rafael and Eva looked at each other with love in their eyes.

**Rafael**: **Rhythm, you feel in your heart**

Then Pedro blocked their view and said

**Pedro****: I'm the samba masta!**

Then the three birds flew off and went by the river

**Nico**: **Beauty and Love, what more could you want?**

**Everything can be for real, in Rio**

**(Awk!)**

Then everybody flew up above the forest, Tulio and Linda appeared on Gliders with Fernando by their side

**Here's something else (Something else)**

**You just feel, it happening**

Clyde smiled as the sinking sun hit his brightly colored feathers; he finally had what he wanted. He lived amongst the birds and enjoyed being what he loved most, a bird

**You won't find it anywhere else**!

Then a familiar bulldog was on a glider as well and shouted

"I love you, Rio!" Luis yelled

So the birds, along with the humans, soared in the dimming sky, as the doors of this story close, we can see Clyde coming up and making a wink at the audience.

(The end)

**Andrew**: - I will kill these birds

**Pedro**: - but Andrew…you are a bird

**Andrew**: - o_O

And then Andrew was a bird

That was basically the story in a nutshell o_O

"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."

Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), _The Jay and the Peacock_

"God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages"

Jacques Deval, _Afin de vivre bel et bien_

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."

**Chinese Proverb**

**My influences – Rio, Don bluth**

**Soon I will release the "beta" version of this story, it is basically how it was going to be before I reconsidered and added a lot of new ideas and sub plots. It was supposed to be just a transformation story for deviant art.**

**Hope you enjoyed by story, i really like making stories like this.**


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